
rn 



k i 
















































































Class _ 

Rnnlc ,FuC 8 
Copyright N°_ 

COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 























INDIAN 

NATURE 

MYTHS 


Books by 

Julia Darrow Cowles 

THE ROBINSON CRUSOE READER 

STORIES TO TELL 

GOING TO SCHOOL IN ANIMAL 
LAND 

THE QUEER LITTLE TAILOR 
INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 

Published by 

A. Flanagan Company 





Page 121 

‘THE THUNDER MAIDEN FASTENED HIS PURPLE WINGS TO 
HIS SHOULDERS AND BADE HIM GOOD-BYE” 






INDIAN 

NATURE MYTHS 


BY 

JULIA DARROW COWLES 


With Illustrations by 

Dorothy Dulin 


A. FLANAGAN COMPANY 
CHICAGO 



/ 0 


\ /' 






COPYRIGHT, 1918, BY A. FLANAGAN COMPANY 



AFLANAGAN COMPANY 

. BOOKS AND SCHOOL SUPPOES SINCE till 

CHICAGO 



A'0V/6/ < ?/g 

Oj S'q % i i+Cj 






PREFACE 


The stories of this book have been chosen 
for the purpose of showing how the early Red 
Men accounted for the phenomena of nature— 
the j>resence of the birds, the moaning of the 
wind, the whispering of the leaves. The nature 
myths of the North American Indian are full 
of poetry, and occasionally of a rich humor. 
In retelling the stories for children the author 
has sought to retain the original spirit of the 
tales, and through them to give to the reader 
a better understanding of the inner life and 
thought of the primitive Red Man at his best. 
The tales have been gathered from many 
sources, and are representative of,many tribes. 

It is w r ell known that the same tale in vary¬ 
ing form is told among many different tribes, 
just as the folk tales have been carried in early 
times from one nation to another and are vari¬ 
ously accredited. It is not always possible to 
determine the original source. 

Before reading or telling the Indian Nature 


6 


PREFACE 


Myths to the children, it is best to explain that 
just as they love to wonder and imagine about 
the new and strange sights and sounds of the 
world, so the early races of men, the children 
of time, loved to wonder and imagine. And 
so these stories of nature grew out of their 
imaginings; and some of the stories are so 
beautiful, and some of them are so odd, that 
men have repeated them from one generation 
to another, ever since,—for even when they no 
longer believed them to be true, they loved 
them. 


CONTENTS 


PAGES 

How the Seasons Came to Be (Ojibwa). 11 

Birth of the Arbutus (Ojibwa). 18 

The Maiden with Golden Hair (Chippewa)... 24 

Origin of the Violet (Iroquois). 29 

The Beginning of Birds (Blackfeet). 33 

Why the Wind Wails (Algonquin). 37 

Story of the Humming Bird (Shoslionee). 43 

The Gift of Indian Corn (Chippewa) . 48 

The Stars That Dance (Iroquois). 56 

The Puckwudjee and the Morning Star (Ojib¬ 
wa) . 60 

The White Hawk (Shawnee). 65 

How Mosquitoes Came to Be (Iroquois) . 74 

How Birds and Fairies Came to Be (Algonquin) 78 













CONTENTS 


PAGES 

Why the Aspen Leaves Are Never Still 

(Blackfeet) . 83 

Why the Baby Says “Goo” (Algonquin). 88 

Why the Squirrel Coughs (Algonquin). 93 

Why the Frogs Croak (Algonquin). 95 

The Bock of the Measuring Worm; El Capi- 
tan, in the Yosemite (California Tribes).... 99 

How the Flying Squirrel Got His Wings (Iro¬ 
quois) . 103 

Why Brother Bear Wears a Stumpy Tail 

(Ojibwa) . Ill 

The Thunder People (Passamaquoddy). 118 

Keepers of the Winds (Algonquin). 123 










ILLUSTRATIONS 


‘ The Thunder Maiden Fastened His Purple 
Wings to His Shoulders and Bade Him Good- 
Bye” . Frontispiece 

PAGES 

‘Omeme Said, ‘I Will Not Shoot You, Tell Me 

Your Secret ’ ”. 13 

4 4 The Arbutus!’ Cried the Children”. 21 

‘Day After Day . . . She Stood and Waited 

for His Coming”.'. 27 

‘There Arose a Great Flock of Winged Birds”. 35 
‘The Wind Tried to Catch Her in His Embrace” 41 
‘He Grappled with the Youth and They Wres¬ 
tled Together”... 51 

4 ‘I Am a Puckwudjee—A Little Man of the 

Mountains,’ He Said”.. 63 

‘Waupee Heard the Strains of the Magic Song” 71 
‘With a Terrible Cry, the Great Mosquito 
Flew Down with His Enormous Wings Out¬ 
stretched” . 75 

‘The Older Sister Looked on with Scorn”. 85 

‘Wasis Sent Forth Such Piercing Yells and 
Shrieks, that the Warrior Stopped in Amaze¬ 
ment” . 91 

‘He Was Fat and Ugly, and His Back Was Cov¬ 
ered with Green Slime from the Pool”. 97 

‘Little Jo-nis-gy-ont Had His Own Ideas”. 105 

‘North Wind Saw Him Sitting There with His 
Eyes. Closed and His Tail Hanging Down in 

the Water”. 115 

‘Wabun Wooed Pier with His Soft Breezes 

and the Songs of Birds”. 125 
















INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 

HOW THE SEASONS CAME TO BE 
(Ojibwa) 

rilHERE was once a little Indian boy who 
wanted above everything else to become a 
mighty hunter. 

His father, whose name was Ojeeg, the Fisher, 
was the mightiest hunter of his tribe, and 
Omeme wanted to be like his father. 

Often he w T ent out into the forest with the 
little bow and arrows which his father had made 
for him, to hunt the small creatures of the woods. 
But it was too cold for him to stay long; for in 
those days there were no seasons, only cold and 
snow day after day, moon following moon. 

So little Omeme often came back to the lodge 
with fingers stiff and numb. As he shivered and 
held his fingers over the fire of the lodge, he 
cried, “ There is nothing for Omeme to shoot. 

The birds fly up to the sun for warmth. The 

11 


12 


INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 


little creatures hide in the forest: they hide far 
down beneath the snow blanket. It is cold. 
Omeme can get no game.” 

One day Omeme met a squirrel in the forest, 
and the squirrel said, “Do not shoot me, Omeme. 
I will tell you a great secret.” 

Then Omeme said, “I will not shoot you. Tell 
me your secret.” 

And the squirrel said, “Away up in the Sky 
Land it is always warm. There is no frost, no 
snow. If we could have some of the warmth of 
the Sky Land, we should not always be cold. 
There would be good hunting for Omeme. There 
would be plenty for us all to eat.” 

“But the Sky Land is far away,” said Omeme. 

“Yes,” replied the squirrel, “but Ojeeg is 
mighty. Could he not go to the Sky Land and 
bring away some of its warmth?” 

“My father is mighty,” answered Omeme. “I 
will ask him. ’ ’ 

He ran home, for he had grown cold while 
listening to the squirrel’s secret. 

Ojeeg was in the lodge. 

“Oh, my father,” exclaimed Omeme, “all we 
little creatures are so cold! The squirrel tells 
me there is warmth in the Sky Land. Could you 



“OMEME SAID, ‘I WILL NOT SHOOT YOU. TELL ME 
YOUR SECRET’ ” 






















14 


INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 


not go there and bring some of its warmth to 
the earth % ’ ’ 

Ojeeg was silent for a long, long time. He 
loved Omeme dearly. He was sorry that Omeme 
was cold. But the journey to the Sky Land was 
long. It was full of dangers. 

At length Ojeeg said, “The earth is cold. I 
will hold a council with my neighbors. ” 

So Ojeeg, the Fisher, called together liis neigh¬ 
bors, the Otter, the Beaver, the Badger, the 
Lynx, and the Wolverine. Long and earnestly 
they considered the matter, and at length they 
decided to undertake the journey to the Sky 
Land. 

Upon a given day they started. It was a great 
adventure, and Ojeeg felt sure that he would 
never return to his lodge, and never again would 
he see the little Omeme. 

For a long, long distance they traveled and at 
last, tired and spent with hunger, they reached 
the top of a very high mountain. So high it was 
that the sky seemed almost to rest upon it. 

There they found meat and a fire, as though 
some traveler had left them. So they rested 
and were refreshed. 

Then Ojeeg said to the Otter, “Now we will 


HOW THE SEASONS CAME TO BE 15 

try to gain entrance to the Sky Land. It is just 
above us. Jump, and see if you cannot break 
through, and we will follow.” 

The Otter tried, but he could not jump high 
enough, and he fell, and slid all the way down 
to the foot of the mountain. So he gave up and 
returned to his home. 

Then Ojeeg said to the Beaver, “Jump, and 
see if you cannot do better than the Otter.” 
The Beaver jumped; but neither could he jump 
high enough, and he too fell, and slid all the 
way down to the bottom of the mountain. So 
the Beaver gave up, and returned to his home. 

Then Ojeeg said to the Badger, “Jump. Let 
us see if you cannot do better than the Otter 
and the Beaver.” 

The Badger jumped; but neither could he 
jump high enough, and back he slid to the bot¬ 
tom of the mountain. So the Badger gave up, 
and returned to his home. 

Then Ojeeg said to the Lynx, “Surely you 
are stronger than the Otter, and the Beaver, 
and the Badger, and you can jump farther. Try, 
and see if you cannot break through into the 
Sky Land, and we will follow.” 

The Lynx jumped; but neither could be break 


16 


INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 


through the Sky, though he made a deep scratch 
upon it with one of his sharp claws; and back 
he slid to the bottom of the mountain. So 
the Lynx gave up, and returned to his home. 

Then said Ojeeg to the Wolverine, “You are 
stronger and more agile than the others. Jump, 
and see if you cannot break through, and I will 
follow you. Do your best. You must not fail 
me.” 

The Wolverine prepared for a mighty jump. 
He sprang upward, and touched the Sky just 
where the Lynx’s claw had scratched it. He 
broke it, and sprang through the opening. 

After him sprang Ojeeg, and now they two 
were in the Sky Land. 

It was a beautiful country. There was no 
snow. The winds blew softly; the air was 
balmy; and all about them were flowers, and 
grass, and singing birds. 

Ojeeg stamped hard with his foot, and a great 
hole was made where he stamped. Down 
through the hole rushed the singing birds, and 
the warm air of the Sky Land. 

Down went Spring, and after Spring went 
Summer, and after Summer went Autumn. But 
just as Autumn disappeared, Ojeeg heard a great 


HOW THE SEASONS CAME TO BE 17 

noise and shouting, for the people of the Sky 
Land were coming. He knew that they would 
punish him for his daring. 

The Wolverine slipped through the hole and 
followed Autumn; but before Ojeeg could fol¬ 
low, the Sky people came, and the hole was 
closed. 

Ojeeg ran, but the arrows of the Sky people 
were swift, and overtook him. 

So Ojeeg gave up his life, but he had sent 
warmth to all the creatures of the earth, and 
since that time his people have had the four 
seasons, instead of one unbroken season of bitter 
cold and snow. 

The little Omeme was proud of the mighty 
deed of his father. lie was cold no more: and 
he grew up to be a mighty hunter, as his father 
the great Ojeeg had been before him. 

And when the Indians look up at the stars 
and see the constellation of the fish, they say, 
“That is Ojeeg, the Fisher, who gave the sum¬ 
mer to his people.” 


BIRTH OF THE ARBUTUS 


(Ojibwa) 


L ONG- years ago, when only the red men lived 
among the hills and valleys of the land, an 
old, old man sat shivering over the low fire 
of his tepee. The old man was Peboan. He 
was chief of the winter spirits. 

The outside world was covered with snow. 
The branches of the trees bent low with its 
weight. The sides of the tepee were heavy 
with snow. All the tracks of the bear and the 
rabbit were hidden. 

The old man shivered, and bent over his fire. 
He was clothed in furs, and furs covered the 
floor of the tepee. But they could not keep out 
the chill winds, for the fire was low. There 
was no more wood to replenish it. Snow cov¬ 
ered all the fallen branches, and the chief was 
old and feeble. 

Peboan had been a mighty hunter. He had 
killed the moose and the bear. The skins of 

many deer were about him. But now his hair 
18 


BIRTH OF THE ARBUTUS 19 

was white as the icy fringes of the frozen brook. 

He blew upon the coals of his fire and they 
glowed, bright as the eyes of a startled deer in 
the forest. But the glow faded. The old man 
shivered. 

There was no food in the tepee. The bear 
and the rabbit were hidden in the forest. Their 
tracks were covered with snow. Peboan could 
not hunt them. 

Then, upon his knees, he cried to the Great 
Spirit for help. He cried for help, that Peboan, 
chief of the winter spirits, might not suffer w r ant 
and cold. 

As he sank once more upon his furs, he felt 
a warmth in the tepee. He looked up. 

In the doorway stood a youth, w r hose red 
cheeks and sparkling eyes told of health and 
strength. A wreath of sweet grass was bound 
about his curling locks, and in his hands he 
held a cluster of flowers. Light and quick w^as 
his step as he entered the lodge of Peboan. 

He smiled upon Peboan, and the old man felt 
a warmth enveloping him. 

“Enter, my son,” he said, “and welcome. I 
have no refreshment to offer. But come to my 
fire, and tell me who you are.” 


20 


INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 


Then the youth said, “The Great Spirit has 
sent me to Peboan. I am Seegwun, the Spring. 
But tell me of yourself, Peboan/ ’ 

Then Peboan cried, “I am the great winter 
spirit. When I come to the Earth, all the 
Earth’s children tremble. I breathe upon them, 
and they cry out. The trees drop their leaves. 
The birds fly away. The forest children creep 
into their holes.” 

“Ah,” cried the youth, “when I come to the 
Earth, the Earth’s children laugh and clap their 
hands. I breathe upon them and they dance 
with joy. The trees put forth their leaves. The 
birds come back. The forest children aw r ake.” 

Peboan continued, “When I come to the Earth, 
I shake my locks and snow falls from the clouds. 
The streams grow hard and still. The wind 
sings dirges through the naked trees.” 

“When I come to the Earth,” laughed Seeg¬ 
wun, “I shake my ringlets and warm showers 
fall from the clouds. The grass awakes. The 
flowers bloom. Soft breezes blow. The streams 
are glad, and sing as they dance along. 

“Peboan,” said the youth, “the Great Spirit 
has sent me to the Earth, and you must go.” 

Seegwun smiled, and the tepee grew warm. 





“‘THE ARBUTUS!’ CRIED THE CHILDREN 













22 INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 

Peboan became silent. His head drooped lower 
and lower. 

The sun shone forth, and the snow melted 
beneath its rays. 

Then Spring waved his hands over the sleep¬ 
ing Peboan, and he sank upon the ground. 
Smaller and smaller he grew. His clothing 
seemed turned to furry leaves, and covered the 
floor of the tepee. 

The youth smiled, for Peboan was gone. 

Softly he lifted the furry leaves, and beneath 
each cluster he placed blossoms of white and 
pink. He breathed upon them with his fra¬ 
grant breath, and they became sweet. Their 
spicy odor filled all the tepee. 

Then the youth laughed gladly, and went his 
way. 

The sun shone, and the children of the little 
Indian village ran from their homes, and danced 
and sang in its warmth. A bird was caroling 
in the tree top, and they stopped to listen. The 
stream shook off its icy covering and went sing¬ 
ing down its course. The children followed it. 

They came to the spot where the tepee of 
Peboan had stood. And lo! all the ground was 
covered with fragrant flowers. 


BIRTH OF THE ARBUTUS 23 

“The arbutus!” cried the children. “The 

arbutus!” 

They picked the beautiful, fragrant blossoms, 
and joyously carried them home. And when 
the old people of the village saw them, they 
knew that the Spirit of the Spring had returned 
to fill the earth with joy and gladness. 


THE MAIDEN WITH GOLDEN HAIR 


(Chippewa) 


EELINAU stood in the door of the lodge, 



holding in her hand a bunch of dandelions 
which had gone to seed. She blew upon them 
softly, and the white-winged seeds went floating 
into the air. 

“ Shawondasee’s breath was mightier than 
thine,” said a voice behind her. She turned 
to see her grandmother smiling upon her as 
she worked upon a deer-skin moccasin. 

Leelinau sat down. “Tell me oL Shawonda¬ 
see,” she said coaxingly. So the grandmother 
told her the story of the South Wind and the 
Dandelion: 

Shawondasee lived far away in the South 
Land where it was always warm and bright. 
His father, Kabeyun, the father of the winds, 
had given him this part of the earth in which 
to dwell. The soft, warm winds of the South 
were given him. 

But Shawondasee was not strong, and quick, 


24 


THE MAIDEN WITH GOLDEN HAIR 25 

and eager, like liis brothers who governed the 
North Wind, and the West Wind. He was fat, 
and lazy, and sluggish. He liked to take life 
easily, and moved slowly, when he moved at all. 

Sometimes, because he was so fat and heavy, 
he sighed deeply, and then his ‘warm breath 
would travel far across the land to the North, 
and the people would cry, “What a balmy day! 
How soft and warm the air is!” 

One day, as Shawondasee looked far away 
toward the North, he saw upon the prairie a 
beautiful maiden. Her body was tall and slen¬ 
der. She wore a gown of green, and her hair 
was a wonderful yellow, like burnished gold. 

Shawondasee looked long upon her, for never 
had he seen a maiden like her before. The 
Indian maidens had hair of deepest black, like 
the glossy feathers of the crow, and their skins 
were dark. 

“She is fair and beautiful,” sighed Shawonda¬ 
see. “I should woo her, if she were not so far 
away.” 

He stirred a little, and sighed, and the air 
grew warm, and a soft breeze blew. The beau¬ 
tiful maiden on the prairie swayed in the breeze, 
and her green robe fluttered. 


26 


INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 


“She is very beautiful/’ cried Shawondasee. 
“I will send her a kiss.” So with his softest 
breath he sent a kiss to the maiden of the yel¬ 
low hair, and again she bowed and swayed. 

Still Shawondasee did not leave his home 
in the South‘Land to visit the maiden. He 
sent soft breezes to blow upon her, and the 
breezes carried sighs and kisses to her; but 
Shawondasee himself remained at home. Day 
after day he wished that he might win the 
maiden with the golden hair. Day after day 
he looked toward the North where she stood 
and waited for his coming. 

Then one morning there was a change. As 
Shawondasee looked out upon the prairie he saw 
that the beautiful golden hair of the maiden he 
loved had turned to snowy white. For once he 
was startled. “What have I done?” he cried. 
“I have put off going to her, and now I have 
lost her. Her golden beauty has changed to a 
beauty which is not of this earth. It is now 
too late!” 

Shawondasee heaved a mighty sigh as he 
spoke—a sigh that stirred all the winds of the 
South Land—and behold! the air was filled with 
the silvery white locks of the Dandelion maiden. 


DAY AFTER DAY . . . SHE STOOD AND WAITED 

FOR HIS COMING” 
























28 


INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 


Far and wide they floated, and wherever one 
fell, there a new flower sprang up, and it was 
called the Dandelion. 

The old grandmother had finished her story 
and her moccasin at the same time. 

“And so Shawondasee never married the 
Dandelion maiden ?” questioned Leelinau. 

“No,” answered the grandmother. “He was 
far too fat and lazy to win a maiden of spirit. 
But then,” she added, “it was no great loss to 
either. No Indian of good sense w'ould wed a 
maiden with yellow hair.” 


ORIGIN OF THE VIOLET 
(Iroquois) 

^TIHREE wonderful deeds had the Indian youth 
performed: three deeds for which the older 
men of the tribe gave him honor. 

First of all he had gone forth with his bow 
and arrow and, taking true aim with a strong 
and steady hand, had pierced the heart of the 
great heron flying overhead: the great heron 
that was the enemy of his people. Often had 
the bird caught the children of the tribe and car¬ 
ried them away to devour them. And now the 
young brave, who was little more than a lad, 
had slain the great heron. 

On the second occasion he had gone forth 
alone, and sought out the cave of the witches. 
And from the cave he had brought away the 
roots which alone would cure his people of the 
great sickness which we call the plague. The 
journey was long and difficult, and food was 
scarce, but only the witches knew the secret of 
the roots. 


29 


30 


INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 


When the young brave returned with the medi¬ 
cine and the people were made well, the old men 
of the tribe gave him honor, and the women of 
the tribe blessed him. 

On the third occasion the young warrior led 
a band of his fellows in combat with a tribe 
of their enemies, and overthrew them. Those 
who were not killed fled in confusion. And 
again he was honored by all his tribe. 

But now the young warrior’s mind was 
troubled, and favor and honor no longer satis¬ 
fied his heart. Among the tribe of the enemy 
that he had conquered, he had seen a maiden who 
had won his love. 

Unknown to her, and hidden, he had watched 
as she moved about the wigwam of her father. 
He had followed the fleeing enemy, and had come 
silently to the outskirts of their village, and 
there he discovered the maiden who alone had 
stirred his heart. 

“I must have her for my very own! She shall 
be the light of my wigwam!” he cried. 

So he stayed in the forest near the village of 
the enemy, and there he sang all the songs that 
the Indian lover sings, and always they were in 
praise of the graceful maiden whom he loved. 


ORIGIN OF THE VIOLET 


31 


So sweet and tender were the words, and so 
rich the music, that the birds of the forest 
learned to sing them after him. And so often 
were they repeated that even the roving animals 
knew the words, and wondered of whom the 
strange warrior sang. 

One day the Indian maiden, enticed by the 
freshness of the woods and the caroling of the 
birds, wandered away to the forest alone. Un¬ 
known to her, a young Indian of her own tribe, 
who long had loved her, followed at a distance. 

When she reached the forest she listened hap¬ 
pily to the singing birds, and she thought she 
heard, too, a strong, clear voice that was dif¬ 
ferent from the voice of the birds. 

Farther into the woods she went, wdien sud¬ 
denly a young brave sprang toward her, clasped 
her in his arms, and ran swiftly away, bearing 
her with him. 

The maiden, looking into his face, saw that 
it was strong, and fearless, and loving; and with 
his voice he reassured her, promising that he 
would do her no harm. And the maiden’s heart 
went out to him, as his had done to her. 

The unseen lover of her own tribe saw what 
had happened and, recognizing the young brave 


32 


INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 


who had stolen the maiden from him as the one 
who had defeated his people, was afraid. He 
ran back to the village to tell the men, and to get 
help for the pursuit. 

“And you came back!” cried the men of the 
village in a voice of scorn. “You did not save 
the maiden you claim to love! Stay here at 
home with the women while we ride forth and 
overtake them!” 

So the men mounted their ponies and rode 
away; and toward evening they came in sight 
of the brave young warrior, and the maiden of 
their tribe. 

But as they drew nearer they saw that the 
maiden had braided the long tresses of her hair 
and had bound them about the neck of the young 
warrior who bore her in his arms. And this was 
the sign to them that she loved him, and wished 
to go with him and become his wife. 

Then the Indians of her own tribe were doubly 
angry, and drawing their bows they shot both 
the young warrior and the maiden through the 
heart, and returned to their own village. 

And where the two fell, there sprang from 
the earth a new flower, the purple violet, which 
speaks of courage and of love. 


THE BEGINNING OF BIRDS 


(Blackfeet) 

TN very early times, tlie Red Children believe, 
there were no birds. And this is the way 
they account for their beginning: 

All summer the trees had been full of leaves, 
shaking, whispering, dancing, as the winds blew 
upon them. “I wish I might fly,” said one little 
leaf. “I would go sailing straight up into the 
heavens.* But the tree holds me tightly; I can¬ 
not get away.” 

“If the tree should let you go, you would 
only fall to the ground and die,” said a bigger 
leaf. “It is better to be content as you are.” 

So the leaves fluttered and danced and whis¬ 
pered one to another, day after day. 

One morning the wind was cold, and the 
leaves had to dance fast to keep warm. Then 
the old tree said, “It is the breath of Po-poon- 
o-ki. He lives in the ice lodge of the far North. 
He will soon visit us, with his war paints. I 
must hold you tightly, little leaves, as long as 

33 


34 INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 

I can.” But the little leaves did not under¬ 
stand what the tree meant. 

Then, one still night, Po-poon-o-ki came. He 
went from tree to tree, and over each one he 
splashed his war paints, till the leaves were no 
longer green, but dashed with red, and brown, 
and yellow, and crimson. 

“How beautiful the trees are!” cried the 
Indian children the next morning. “See their 
bright colors.” 

For a few days the leaves danced and whis¬ 
pered, laughing over their beautiful hues. Then 
Po-poon-o-ki came back, and with his swift, 
cold breath, he blew against the trees, and the 
little leaves were tossed and torn from the 
friendly branches. They did not fly up into 
the heavens, but frightened and sobbing they 
dropped to the earth. 

“We shall die!” they cried. “We shall die!” 

Then a strange thing happened. The guardian 
spirit of the tree whispered, “No, little leaves, 
you shall not die. You shall be changed into 
living forms. I will give you breath and life.” 
And instantly there arose from the earth where 
the leaves had dropped, a great flock of winged 
birds, red, and brown, and yellow, and crimson, 



“THERE AROSE A GREAT FLOCK OF WINGED BIRDS” 










36 INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 

all the beautiful colors that Po-poon-o-ki had 
given the leaves. Then they flew away to the 
South Land, where winter’s breath could not 
reach them. 

But in the spring, when Ni-poon-o-ld, the 
spirit of summer, came stealing up from the 
South, and Po-poon-o-ki went back to his ice 
lodge in the far North, then the birds came 
back, too. There were new leaves on the trees, 
but the birds flew straight to the branches which 
had been their home, and there, safely sheltered 
by the new leaves, they built their nests. 

And after awhile, when there were eggs in 
all the home nests, the hearts of the birds became 
so full of joy that they could no longer be silent. 
Their throats swelled, and opening wide their 
little mouths, they filled all the air with bursts 
of happy song. 


WHY THE WIND WAILS 


(Algonquin) 

TX7TIEN the pale moon looks down from the 
* * sky, and when the wind cries mournfully 
around the wigwam, this is the story that the 
old man of the tribe tells to the Indian children: 

Many, many moons ago the great chief of 
our tribe had a very beautiful daughter. 

“She shall marry a great warrior/’ said the 
Chief, “and a mighty hunter. Then she will 
be well cared for, and I shall be happy.” 

So the great Chief kept w T atch of the young 
men of the tribe, to see which one would prove 
worthy of his daughter. 

One day, as the Chief sat in the door of his 
lodge, there came a sudden rushing sound, and 
a young man stood before him. It was the 
Wind, who had made himself visible that he 
might talk with the Chief. 

When he had saluted, he said, “Great Chief, 
I love your daughter. May I carry her away 
to my lodge, and make her my wife?” 

37 


38 INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 

The Chief looked at the Wind, and he an¬ 
swered, “No. My daughter is not for such as 
you. You are no warrior. You are no hunter. 
You love to play pranks. You cannot marry 
my daughter.” 

So the Wind went away sorrowing, for he 
loved the Indian maiden. 

The next day the maiden came to her father 
and said, “Father, I love the Wind better than 
any young warrior of our tribe. May I go to 
his lodge, and be his wife?” 

The Chief looked at his daughter and said, 
“No. The Wind is no mate for you. He is 
no warrior. He is no hunter. He loves only 
to play pranks. You cannot marry him.” 

The maiden went away sorrowing, for she 
loved the Wind. 

The next day when the maiden went out to 
gather sweet marsh grass for her basket weav¬ 
ing, she heard a sudden rushing sound above 
her head. She looked up, and as she looked 
the Wind swept down and carried her in his 
arms far away to his lodge. 

There they lived happily together, for the 
maiden became his wife. But the great Chief 
was full of wrath. He hunted through all the 


WHY THE WIND WAILS 


39 


land for the lodge of the Wind, but he could 
not find it for many moons. Still he would not 
give up the search, for his heart was hot with 
wrath. 

One day the Wind heard a great crashing 
sound among the trees near his lodge, and his 
heart stood still. 

“It is your father,” he cried, and he hid the 
Chief’s daughter in a thicket, while he made 
himself invisible, that he might stay close beside 
her. 

The great Chief looked inside the lodge of 
the Wind, but he found it empty. Then he 
went through the brush, striking to right and 
left with his heavy club, and calling, “My 
daughter: my daughter!” 

And when the Wind’s .wife heard her father’s 
voice, she answered, “Oh, my father, strike not! 
We are here.” 

But before her words could reach him, the 
Chief swung his great club once more, and it 
fell upon the head of the invisible Wind, who, 
without a sound, dropped unconscious upon the 
ground. And because he was invisible, neither 
the Chief nor his daughter knew what had 
happened. 


40 


INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 


Then the Chief took his daughter in his arms 
and hastened back to his tribe. But each day 
she grew more and more sorrowful, and longed 
for her husband, the Wind. 

For many hours the Wind lay unconscious 
beside his lodge. When he awakened, the Chief 
and his daughter had gone. Sorrowfully he set 
out in search of his wife. He traveled to her 
father’s tribe, and there at last he found her. 
But she was in a canoe with her father, far out 
upon the lake. 

Then the Wind cried, “Come to me, my loved 
one,” and his voice swept out over the water. 

The Chief said, “The winds are blowing,” 
but his daughter knew her husband’s voice. 
She could not see him, for he was still invisible, 
but she lifted herself, up in the canoe and 
stretched out her hands toward the shore. As 
she did so a breeze stirred the water, and the 
canoe overturned. 

The Chief’s daughter threw up her arms, 
and the Wind tried to catch her in his embrace, 
but he was too late. The Great Spirit bore her 
far up into the sky, and there he gave her a 
home where she would live forever in the lodge 
of the moon. 



“THE WIND TRIED TO CATCH HER IN HIS EMBRACE” 





















































42 


INDIAN NATUKE MYTHS 


The great Chief was drowned in the waters 
of the lake. 

Night after night his daughter looks down 
upon the earth, hoping for a sight of her lost 
lover. But though the Wind still roams about 
the earth in search of his bride, he has never, 
since the Chief’s blow fell upon his head, had 
the power to become visible to men. 

And now you will understand why the voice 
of the Wind is so mournful as it wails about 
the wigwam; and why the Moon Maiden’s pale 
face is always turned downward toward the 
earth. 


STORY OF THE HUMMING BIRD 


(Shoshonee) 

S EE!” said the Indian grandfather, as he 
sat in the opening of his tepee. “See the 
little Fire Bird! How swiftly it darts! Now 
it drinks honey from the flowers. How fast its 
wings move!” 

A little Indian boy stood quietly at his grand¬ 
father’s side. “I see the fire on its throat,” he 
said softly, and then, as the bird darted away, 
he begged, “Tell me the story of the little Fire 
Bird, grandfather. I like the story.” 

Then the grandfather told this tale, which his 
grandfather had told to him: 

Long, long ago the Indian people lived in a 
country where it was cold, and the snow fell 
for many, many days. The falling snow covered 
the tracks of the forest children, so the hunters 
could find little meat. Many times the Indian 
children cried to the Great Spirit for warmth, 
and for better hunting. 

Far to the west of the Indian village there 

43 


44 INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 

was a high mountain; and often the people 
watched the red sun as he sank from sight 
beyond the mountain, and all the sky was tilled 
with brightness. 

One night a little child went running about 
the tepees calling, “Come, come; see the sun! 
See the sun!” 

The people looked toward the west. All the 
sky was bright; and they said, “The sun is 
touching the mountain top.” 

But the brightness did not fade away as they 
watched. Instead, while darkness fell all about 
the village, the red fire burned brighter and 
brighter at the top of the mountain. The people 
cried, “The sun is resting. He does not move. 
He does not sink behind the mountain!” Then 
they were frightened, for they knew not what 
to think. 

All night they watched, and still the bright 
light shone above the mountain top. It flashed, 
and threw fiery darts far into the heavens; and 
the Indians said, “The sun is angry. Perhaps 
he will destroy the earth’s children.” 

Then their wonder grew as far away in the 
east a light began to glow. It grew brighter and 
brighter,—and then the sun arose on the eastern 


STORY OF THE HUMMING BIRD 45 

horizon! The people knew then that the light 
upon the mountain was not the light of the sun. 

“There is fire in the mountain,” they cried, 
“and fire is warm. It is beckoning to us with 
its hands. Let us move nearer to the fire moun¬ 
tain. It will not be so cold there.” 

So the people of the village marched west¬ 
ward toward the mountain. The bright light 
had gone, but a cloud of smoke hung above it. 

For several days they journeyed, and at last 
they reached the foot of the mountain, and there 
they camped. 

Then two of their bravest warriors climbed 
up the mountain, until they came to its very 
top, and there they looked down into a great 
opening, shaped like a mammoth bowl, and it 
was full of fire! Then they hastened down and 
told the people. 

The people rejoiced, and said, “The fire in the 
mountain will keep us warm. It will be good 
to live here.” And they made them a new vil¬ 
lage at the foot of the mountain. 

For many moons the people dwelt there, hunt¬ 
ing and fishing, making their beads and mocca¬ 
sins. Then one day a strange noise was heard. 
It was as though the mountain coughed—a 


46 


INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 


great, hoarse, rumbling cough, like that of some 
huge giant. 

The people stood still and listened! There 
was another sound like the first, but heavier, 
more convulsive. 

Then a great flash of fire shot up from the 
mountain top, and fell again. Then another, 
and another, and each time the fire leaped higher. 

“Let us run!” cried the people. “Let us 
run!” Even as they spoke there was a great 
burst of fire and smoke, and huge stones were 
thrown high in the air, and a stream came pour¬ 
ing down the side of the mountain—a stream 
that looked like liquid fire. 

Then the Indians ran, indeed, and there was 
no time to save anything but their own lives! 

Many streams followed the first one, coming 
like fiery serpents down the mountain side, and 
above were heavy smoke clouds, shot with burst¬ 
ing rocks. 

Far away the Indian people ran, crying, “The 
Fire Spirit is angry! What have we done that 
he should destroy our homes?” 

At last they stopped, and turned to look back 
at the fire mountain. The flames were gone: 
only a cloud of smoke hung about. But the 


STORY OF THE HUMMING BTRD 47 

fiery streams had burned all that was in their 
way; and rocks and ashes had buried what the 
fire streams had not destroyed. 

Then the people prayed to the Great Spirit, 
and as the Great Spirit looked down upon the 
mountain and saw what destruction had been 
wrought, he said, “Your flames shall be put 
out; your fires shall be quenched.” And even 
as the Great Spirit spoke, the fires grew ashen 
in color, and the flames trembled and sank 
away. 

But in the center of the great bowl of the 
mountain, where the fires had been, one little 
flame hung quivering. The Great Spirit saw it, 
and he said, “Little flame, you alone shall stay. 
But I will give to you a new form. You shall 
have wings, and live among the earth’s people, 
and drink the honey of its flowers. Little flame, 
you shall carry the color of the fire upon your 
throat. You shall be known as the Humming 
Bird, and every child will love you.” 


THE GIFT OF INDIAN CORN 
(Chippewa) 

I N' the far back days, before the white men 
lived upon this side of the earth, a young 
Indian lad stood at the door of his father’s 
tepee and gazed out over the far-waving prairie 
grass. 

He was thinking of the morrow when he 
would begin his fast; for this was the custom 
among the Indians. When a youth reached a 
given age he went away by himself, and for 
seven days he ate no food, but spent the time 
in prayer to the Great Spirit that his part in 
life might be made clear to him, and that it 
might prove a worthy one. 

Now Wunzh, who stood in the tepee door, was 
an unusually thoughtful lad, for his father had 
so taught him; and he was filled with high and 
with grave thoughts as he looked across the 
waving grass. 

Beyond his sight, in a thicket, he knew that 
his father and younger brother were clearing 
48 


THE GIFT OF INDIAN CORN 49 

the ground and raising the little tepee wherein 
he would spend the days of his fasting. 

Wunzh knew full well what his prayer to the 
Great Spirit would be, but how would it be 
answered? He thought of this long and often. 

As he had run about the prairie or made his 
way through the forests when a little lad, he 
had wondered how it was that the grass and 
the trees sprang up out of the dark earth. He 
had wondered why some of the flowers smelled 
sweet while others were offensive; why some 
of the roots were good for healing, while others 
caused sickness or even death, though all came 
from the same soil. But to none of these ques¬ 
tions could he find an answer. 

Wunzh’s father was poor, and so were many 
other Indians; and some of them were ill, or 
very old. But in order to live they must hunt 
or fish, for game and fish were their only food. 
And so life was hard for many of the Indians. 

Since Wunzli was thoughtful and had consid¬ 
ered all these things, he knew full well what 
his prayer to the Great Spirit would be. 

On the following day he left the tepee of his 
father and went to the little clearing in the 
thicket, where he would fast for seven days. 


50 


INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 


And there he prayed that in some way which 
the Great Spirit would show him, he might 
bring a great blessing to his people and make 
their lives less hard. He knew full well that 
most of his comrades prayed that they might 
become great warriors, or that they should be 
mighty men of the chase. But Wunzh prayed 
not for these. 

For four days he fasted and prayed, and each 
day he grew weaker from lack of food, but his 
faith and his courage grew stronger. 

On the fifth day, as he lay upon his bed of 
skins, there appeared outside the door of his 
tepee a strong, bright youth, clad all in shim¬ 
mering greens and golden yellows, and wearing 
upon his head a plume of waving green. 

“Come,” cried the youth, “let us wrestle, and 
see who shall overcome.” 

Then Wunzh sprang from his bed, for though 
his body was weak, his spirit was strong, and 
he grappled with the youth and they wrestled 
together. 

At length the youth said, “That will do for 
to-day. You have wrestled well, though neither 
of us has overcome. I will return to-morrow.” 

And no sooner had he finished speaking than 



“HE GRAPPLED WITH THE YOUTH AND THEY 
WRESTLED TOGETHER” 




52 INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 

he vanished from the sight of Wunzh who 
dropped exhausted upon his bed. 

The next day, at exactly the same hour, the 
youth came again, and so suddenly that it 
seemed to Wunzh he must have dropped from 
the sky, 

Wunzh had less strength in his body than 
on the previous day, but he felt sure the stranger 
had been sent by the Great Spirit, and so he 
grappled with him again and wrestled well. 

But as Wunzh*s strength was nearly gone, the 
young man said once more, “That will do for 
to-day. To-morrow I will return. ’Tis the last 
day of your fast. Be ready.” 

Again the stranger disappeared, and Wunzh, 
trembling with weakness of body, prayed the 
Great Spirit that he might yet overcome. And 
as he prayed he fell asleep. 

Then, as Wunzh slept, he dreamed. And it 
‘seemed to him that he again wrestled with the 
strange youth, and he overcame and threw him 
to the ground. And a voice spoke to him and 
said: “Strip off the clothing of the youth and 
wear it for your own. Bury his body, and pro¬ 
tect the spot where he is buried. Make the earth 
soft and mellow; keep it clear of weeds; and 


THE GIFT OF INDIAN CORN 53 

water it day by day. Do all this, and your 
prayer to the Great Spirit shall be answered/ ’ 

Wunzli slept long, but when he wakened he 
remembered his dream and the words that had 
been spoken. 

That morning his father came to the tepee to 
offer food, but Wunzli said, “Let me alone until 
the evening.” So his father went away. 

At the same hour, on this day, the stranger 
once more appeared outside the door of the 
tepee, and once more Wunzh went forth to 
wrestle. He was weaker than before, but his 
dream had given him such courage that he 
grasped the strange youth and with a supreme 
effort threw him prostrate upon the earth. 

“I have overcome,” cried Wunzh, for the 
youth lay dead at his feet. 

Then Wunzh stripped off his clothing as he 
had been told in his dream, and he dressed him¬ 
self in the garments of green and yellow, and 
he placed the plume of green upon his head. 

Then, kneeling, he tenderly buried the body 
of the youth, and his tears fell as he did so, for 
he said, “He was my friend.” 

Whrtft. Wunzh returned to the tepee of his 
father he was received with great rejoicing, and 


54 


INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 


given food. His new clothing was looked upon 
in wonder, but he did not tell its story. 

Day by day he went to the little spot of 
ground where his own little tepee had been, 
and’he kept the earth soft and moist and free 
from weeds. 

And after many days had gone by, green 
plumes ’came up through the earth; and they 
grew, and became sturdy stalks. 

And still they grew, and after many days and 
weeks the broad green leaves held ears of juicy 
grain. 

Day by day the ears grew full and the grain 
ripened; the green plumes at their ends turned 
to yellow, and then to brown, and the ground 
was covered with the many stalks. 

Then Wunzh said to his father, “Come with 
me. I have something to show you.” And his 
father went with him, and he showed him the 
clearing where his tepee had stood. And it was 
all a field of green and yellow, like the clothing 
which Wunzh had worn, when he came from his 
fast. 

Then he told his father of the stranger’s visit, 
and of his dream, and of his overcoming the 
youth. 


THE GIFT OF INDIAN CORN 55 

“And now, my father,” lie added, “the Great 
Spirit has answered my prayer. From this time 
on life will be less hard for the Indian, for he 
shall have other food than game and fish. The 
Great Spirit has caused this grain to grow, and 
it is good for man to eat. Taste it, my father, 
and see.” 

And this is the story the Red Men tell of the 
gift of the maize, or Indian corn. 


THE STARS THAT DANCE 
(Iroquois) 

M ANY years ago in the Indian country a 
company of eleven young men went out 
from the village of their fathers. They were 
going to prepare themselves for the war dances, 
and for battle with their foes. 

Away into the forest they went, but before 
they left the lodges of their people, their leader 
said, “You, our parents, must prepare food, 
that we may have strength for the trial that is 
before us.” 

Then they went away, singing the war songs 
of their nation, while their leader beat upon 
the water drum to give them courage and 
endurance. 

On they marched until they came to the 
part of the forest where they were to begin 
their training, and there they stopped and pre¬ 
pared a rude lodge for shelter. 

Many days they stayed, practising the light 
step of the hunter which falls as softly as a 

56 


THE STARS THAT DANCE • 57 

falling leaf, or dancing the war dance to the 
beating of the drum. 

But at length they grew weary and faint, 
for day after day had passed, and no food had 
been sent them from the lodges of their fathers. 

Then their leader sent one of their number 
back to the village, and he told the people that 
the young men were faint and weary, and in 
need of food. Yet the people sent them no 
food, and the young man went back, weak, and 
empty-handed. 

Once more the young men began their danc¬ 
ing, for their hearts were full of courage, and 
Indian youths are strong to endure. Then, once 
more, they sent to the people asking for food, 
but still no food was given them. 

Then a third time they sent, and yet in vain. 

That night, as the youths slept, quite ex¬ 
hausted, in their lodge, their leader was awak¬ 
ened by the sound of singing. Slow, and soft, 
and alluring were the voices; and they seemed 
far above the earth. 

The leader wakened his companions, and 
together they listened. Then, one by one, the 
young men arose, and new strength seemed to 
come into their limbs, and new courage into 


58 • INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 

their hearts, and dancing, they followed the 
sound of the singing. On and on they went, 
and then they seemed to be lifted from off the 
earth, but still they danced as higher and higher 
they arose. Now they were past the tree tops, 
now they were above the mountain tops, and 
now high up among the clouds. And still they 
danced the war dance of their nation, faster 
and faster, as the music led them on. 

The Night Wind saw them. “They follow 
the song of the Sky Witches,” he cried in alarm, 
and he hastened to overtake them and turn 
them back. But they paid no heed to the Night 
Wind, for the song of the Sky Witches had 
charmed them, and they followed on dancing. 

The people of their village caught sight of 
them as they passed far over their heads, and 
they ran from their lodges and called to them. 
“Come back! Come back!” they cried. “Look 
down upon us, and the spell will be broken. 
Heed not the song of the Sky Witches!” 

But still the young men followed on,—all but 
one, their leader, who, hearing the voice of his 
mother, turned his head and looked back. The 
spell of the Sky Witches was broken, and down, 
dawn he sped to the earth. 


THE STARS THAT DANCE 59 

The other ten followed on, and the Mother 
Moon, quite dizzy with the sight of their danc¬ 
ing, turned aside from her steady course and 
begged them to heed her voice. 

“The Sky Witches are seeking victims for 
their feasts,” she warned them. “Turn away; 
turn away! They will destroy you!” 

Yet in spite of her warning the witchery of 
the music led the youths on. And then the 
Mother Moon cried, “I will save you from their 
wicked spell in spite of yourselves!” With that 
she waved her girdle of vapors, and the ten 
youths were changed into fixed stars, and set 
forever in the heavens. 

Seven of the youths were large and strong, 
and three were small and less sturdy; and so 
they were as stars. When the people of their 
village looked once more up into the sky, they 
saw seven bright stars dancing and twinkling 
above them. But those whose eyes were very 
strong, when the night was clear, could see ten. 

And to this day these stars still dance and 
twinkle in the heavens—and this is the Indian 
legend of their origin. 

We call these stars the Pleiades, but the 
Indians call them “The Stars That Dance.” 


THE PUKWUDJEE AND THE 
MORNING STAR 


(Ojibwa) 


O NCE upon a time, in the Indian country, 
two children were left alone in a village. 
All the other people had gone to a far-away 
country. 

The sister, who was the older, thought, “I 
must take good care of my baby brother ,’’ 
though she was not much more than a baby' 
herself. And this she did. She cooked food 
for him, and she made him little moccasins, and 
crooned a song for him when it was time for 
him to sleep. 

She grew up rapidly, but the baby brother 
seemed scarcely to grow at all. He became 
strong and sturdy, however, though he was so 
small a mite. 

The sister watched over him carefully, and as 
soon as he could run about she made him a 

tiny bow and arrows, and taught him how to 
60 


PUKWUDJEE AND MORNING STAR 61 

shoot. At the same time she hung a shell about 
his neck, for a charm, and she named him He- 
of-the-Little-Shell. 

For all his small size, he soon learned to use 
the bow and arrow, and his aim was very true. 
He brought home birds and squirrels for food, 
and after a time he was able to bring down 
bigger game, so that they fared very well. 

But He-of-the-Little-Sliell did not grow. When 
he stood beside his sister he looked no bigger 
than a squirrel. 

While the boy was out hunting, his sister 
busied herself about their lodge, but she looked 
often toward the east, for she loved the clouds 
and the sky and the morning sun. She was 
always outside the lodge in the early morning, 
that she might watch the sunrise, for she thought 
the eastern sky more beautiful than any other 
part of the heavens. 

So the two lived on very happily, for the lit¬ 
tle brother was a merry fellow, full of tricks 
and mischief. 

One morning, as he was hunting, he saw a 
man fishing for beaver through a hole in the 
ice. He watched him, and when the man had 
caught several he loaded them upon a sled which 


62 


INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 


he drew away. He-of-the-Little-Shell followed. 
He ran up close to the load and, with a slash 
of his shell, cut off the tail of one of the beavers, 
and ran away home with it. 

For several days he played the same trick, 
and the man was very much puzzled to know 
how it was that one of his beavers always lost 
its tail before he reached home. At length He- 
of-the-Little-Shell followed the man home, and 
when the beavers were unloaded he stepped out 
and spoke to the man. 

The hunter was astonished to see so tiny a 
fellow. “Is it you who has cut my beavers’ 
tails?” he asked. 

“Yes,” answered He-of-the-Little-Shell. 

“I have a mind to kill you!” exclaimed the 
hunter, angrily. 

“Oh, but you could not do it,” said the boy 
quickly, and before the man could think, he had 
disappeared. 

One day when he came home from the hunt 
he said to his sister, “The time has come when 
I must go away from our lodge. I must go to 
the mountains and live among the rocks and 
caves. That is my true home, for I am a Fuk- 
wudjee,—a little man of the mountains. But,” 



“ ‘I AM A PUCKWUDJEE—A LITTLE MAN OF 
THE MOUNTAINS,’ HE SAID” 






















64 INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 

he added, “I shall not leave you here alone. 
You shall go to the home you would love best 
of all. Tell we where it shall be.” 

Then the sister answered, “I love the eastern 
sky best of all. I should love to live there.” 

“It shall be so,” replied her brother. “I 
will go up the mountain, where the little people 
dwell. You shall be carried to the eastern sky; 
the four winds of heaven shall lift you. I will 
look up often and see you there.” 

“And I,” said his sister, “will look down upon 
you and watch over you every morning. When 
you see the rosy clouds you will say, ‘My siste 
is painting her face’.” 

They bade each other good-bye, and He-of 
the-Little-Shell ran up the mountain side, for h( 
was a Pukwudjee, a “little man of the moun¬ 
tains,” as the Indians call them. 

The four winds of heaven carried the sister 
to the eastern sky, where she became the Morn¬ 
ing Star, and there she watches over her brother 
and all his people. 


THE WHITE HAWK 


(Sliawnee) 

W AUPEE was an Indian youth, and a mighty 
hunter. The meaning of his name was 
White Hawk. He was tall, and strong as the 
great oaks of the forest. He was fleet of foot, 
and keen of sight. When he drew his bow, his 
arrow w r ent swiftly to the mark. 

_ The Chief of the tribe said, “White Haw T k 
^yill provide well for the maiden he chooses as 
is wife. He has the flesh of every animal for 
^ood. He has the skin of every animal for his 
odge and for his clothing. ” 

But Waupee lived alone in his lodge. He 
loved the chase, but as yet he cared for no 
maiden. 

One day, as he followed a deer through the 
forest, he went far away from his lodge; far 
away from his usual hunting ground. Beyond 
the forest he saw an open space where the grass • 
grew green, and yellow blossoms studded it like 
stars in the sky. 


65 


66 


INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 


Waupee passed swiftly through the forest 
until he came to the open space, and there, as 
he looked about, he discovered a curious thing. 
It was a circle, where the grass bent down as 
though many feet had passed lightly over it. 
He wondered what dancing feet could have made 
this circle in the grass. And he wondered still 
more when he looked all about and could find no 
trace of a footstep outside it. 

“How did they come? How did they go?” 
questioned Waupee in amazement. “I must 
know more of this.” 

So he hid himself among the trees in the edge 
of the forest and waited. 

He had hunted long: the drowsy insects droned 
about him, and at length Waupee fell asleep. 
Soon he was aroused by the sound of tinkling 
music. It was like the ringing of a silver bell. 

He started up and listened. It seemed to 
come from the sky. He looked up; then he 
stood still and waited. 

Directly over the circle upon the prairie 
grass there was descending something—Waupee 
knew not what. It was like a boat, but its 
colors were like the colors of a sea shell, chang¬ 
ing from silver to green, to pink, and to blue. 


THE WHITE HAWK 


67 


The wonderful boat came to rest in the center 
of the circle, and out of it stepped twelve 
maidens, more beautiful than any Waupee had 
seen before. 

Taking hold of hands, they danced lightly 
round and round, while the silver bells kept 
time to their steps. Their eyes were bright as 
the stars, and a star rested upon the breast of 
each maiden. But though all were beautiful, 
Waupee was attracted by one alone, and she 
was the youngest. 

“I must have this maiden for my own!” cried 
Waupee. He ran from the shelter of the trees 
and w r ould have clasped her in his arms, but he 
was too late. 

The startled maidens sprang into their boat, 
which lifted instantly and carried them away. 

Waupee watched until they disappeared 
among the clouds. Then slowly he returned to 
his lodge, but he could think only of the beau¬ 
tiful maiden with eyes like stars, and he deter¬ 
mined to use all his powders to win her. 

The next day, at the same hour, he was again 
at the edge of the forest, but this time he had 
changed to the form of the white hawk, whose 
name he bore. 


'68 


INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 


“I will wait until they dance/’ he said to 
himself, “and then I will fly to the maiden of 
my choice. I will change to my own form and 
clasp her in my arms.” 

So Waupee waited, and as before he heard 
music like the tinkling of silver bells, and the 
boat with its changing silvery colors floated 
down within the circle. 

Out stepped the twelve maidens and began 
their dance. 

Waupee was too eager to wait, and he flew 
at once from the tree. But the moment the 
maidens heard the sound of his wings, they 
sprang into their boat and were carried swiftly 
back to the sky. 

Waupee, resuming his form as a man, sat 
down in the forest, and drew his blanket over 
his head, as the Indians do when they mourn. 
He feared that the maidens would nevermore 
return. 

But after a time his courage and hope came 
back, and he determined that he would not give 
up until he had captured the maiden who had 
won his heart. 

On the third day he was again at the edge of 
the forest, and there he noticed the half-decayed 


THE WHITE HAWK 


69 


stump of a tree. In and out, about the stump, 
a dozen field mice were playing. 

“Now you must help me, little brothers/’ 
said Waupee. He lifted the stump and set it 
down near the magic circle in the field. The 
little field mice continued to play about it as 
before. Waupee changed himself into the form 
of a field mouse, and began running about with 
the others. 

He soon heard the tinkling music, and look¬ 
ing up saw once more the silvery boat floating 
down from the sky. 

When it touched the earth the star maidens 
sprang out and began their dance. But one of 
them saw the old stump. 

“That was not there before!” she cried, and 
running from the circle she looked closely at it. 

“Let us return!” said the youngest maiden, 
but the others replied, “But look! Here are 
field mice running about. Let us chase them!” 

The little mice ran in all directions, and the 
maidens ran after them, laughing, and threat¬ 
ening them with their silver wands. 

And the one that the youngest maiden chased 
ran far from the others. Then, just as the 
maiden reached him, and would have struck him 


70 


INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 


with her wand, the little field mouse changed 
suddenly to the form of a man,—and it was 
Waupee. 

He caught the maiden in his arms, and he told 
her how she had won his heart by her loveli¬ 
ness, and begged her to stay with him. 

The other maidens, frightened at the sight of 
Waupee, sprang into their boat, and it rose and 
bore them away. 

Then the youngest maiden wept, but Waupee 
comforted her, for he was strong and brave, and 
a mighty hunter. And her heart was won, and 
she went with him to the village. 

So Waupee was wedded to the Star Maiden, 
and she was the loveliest maiden in all the 
tribe. 

The next year Waupee and his bride were 
made still happier by the coming of a baby boy, 
and the White Hawk was the proudest father 
in all the tribe. 

But after many moons had passed, the Star 
Maiden grew lonely for her father, and for the 
scenes of her star home in the sky. And so, 
one day, she took her little son by the hand and 
led him to the magic circle in the grass of the 
prairie. In the center of the circle she placed 


THE WHITE HAWK 


71 


a boat which she had woven from the grass and 
rushes of the meadow, and she and her little son 
stepped into it. 

Then she sang the 
song of the silvery 
bells which had 
been always in her 
heart, and the boat 
of woven rushes 
began to rise. 

Up and up it 
went until it car¬ 
ried the Star 
Maiden and her son far away to the Sky Land. 

Waupee, far away at the chase, heard the 
strains of the magic song and ran to the spot, 
but he was too late. He saw the boat with its 
occupants disappear among the clouds, and then 
he sat down upon the prairie, covered his head 
with his blanket, and mourned. And no one in 
all the tribe could comfort him. 

The Star Maiden and her son were welcomed 
by her father, and for some time they were 
happy. Then the boy began to long for his 
father, the White Hawk, who was so strong and 
brave. And his mother, too, secretly longed for 



“WAUPEE HEARD THE STRAINS 
OF THE MAGIC SONG” 





72 


INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 


Waupee and the home he had made for her. 

One day her father, who had noticed, said to 
her, “Go, my daughter, back to the Earth coun¬ 
try. Tell your husband that I want him to visit 
me in the land of stars, and bring him here to 
dwell with you and your son. But before he 
comes have him shoot one of every kind of bird 
and beast, and bring a specimen of each to our 
Sky Land. 

So the Star Maiden gladly took her son and 
stepped into her boat. Then singing the magic 
song which was always in her heart, they were 
carried back to Earth. 

Waupee’s heart leaped up like a deer when 
he heard the music of the song, and running to 
the magic circle he clasped his wife and his son 
in his strong, loving arms. 

The Star Maiden gave him the message from 
her father, and though Waupee loved the for¬ 
ests and the prairies, he prepared to go to the 
Sky Land. He hunted day after day, and from 
each bird or animal that he shot he cut a wing, 
or a foot, or a tail, to carry with him. At last 
he was ready, and with the Star Maiden and 
their son, he stepped into the magic boat and 
was carried far up to the land of stars. 


THE WHITE HAWK 


73 


All the people of that far-off country gath¬ 
ered to greet him, and to welcome the return 
of the Star Maiden and her boy. Her father 
took the great bundle of strange objects that 
Waupee had brought, and he said-to his people: 
“Come, I will let you choose! Those of you who 
wish to stay in the Star Land may remain as 
you are. The others may select one object from 
this strange bundle, and according to your 
choice, so shall you be in the future.” 

Many of the people crowded forward, and one 
took the tail of a deer, and immediately he was 
changed into a deer, and bounded away to the 
Earth country. Another took the claw of a 
bear, and at once he became a bear, and shuffled 
off’to find his way to the Earth. And so it was 
with the choice of every one. Some became 
birds and flew away. 

“ Come/’ said Waupee, to the Star Maiden, 
“let me choose the wing of the White Hawk, 
and do you the same, and our son. Then we 
may visit both the Earth and the Sky, and be 
always together . 9 9 

So they chose. And so they have lived, ever 
since. 


HOW MOSQUITOES CAME TO BE 
(Iroquois) 

I N the long-ago time, the Red Men tell us that 
their fathers were greatly troubled by the 
visits of an enormous bird called Mosquito. No 
one knew whence it came, or where it went. 
But always it brought terror and destruction. 

Sometimes it would fly over the growing corn 
and with the great force of its wings beat it all 
to the earth. Sometimes it would swoop down 
and strike a child playing beside the lodge. 
Again it would come swiftly and throw a man 
or a woman of the tribe to the earth, and leave 
them bleeding and torn. 

At length its visits became so frequent that 
the people were afraid to leave their lodges, and 
so a great council was called, to see what could 
be done to get rid of the monster. 

At this council one of the young braves 
said, “I will go out and try to snare the bird. 
I will offer my life to save my people.’’ 

The young man cut strong bands of rawhide. 

74 



“WITH A TERRIBLE CRY THE GREAT MOSQUITO FLEW DOWN 
WITH HIS ENORMOUS WINGS OUTSTRETCHED” 













76 INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 

He said, “I will try to throw one of these bands 
about the great bird, and snare him before he 
ends my life. Then you must come and kill 
him. ’ 9 

So the young brave started out, and when he 
reached a bare place on the mountain side he 
sat down on the ground and sang his death-song 
while he waited. 

Presently, with a terrible cry, the great Mos¬ 
quito flew down with his enormous wings out¬ 
stretched, and just as he buried his talons in 
the young warrior’s flesh, the brave youth 
sprang erect, threw one of the rawhide thongs 
about the foot of the bird and bound him to the 
rock. 

The men of the tribe who had watched the 
conflict ran to the mountain side and let fly 
their arrows. Soon the great Mosquito lay 
dead upon the rocks. 

There was great rejoicing in the village. The 
news was spread by runners, so that braves 
both young and old came from neighboring 
tribes to see the body of the monstrous bird. 

“The body should be burned,” counseled one 
of the old men of the tribe; but so proud were 
they of the young warrior who had given his 


HOW MOSQUITOES CAME TO BE * 77 

life to free the Red Men of this great foe, and 
so eager were they to show the huge size of the 
monster, that they gave no heed to his advice. 

One day they noticed that small stinging flies 
began to buzz about. Nothing like them had 
ever been seen before. Their number increased, 
and then the people noticed that they came from 
the body of the great bird. And the insects bit 
and stung them. 

“It is a new plague/* said the Indians. “We 
should have given heed to the counsel of the old 
man of the tribe, and burned the body, for 
we know that all evil things are cleansed by 
fire.” 

And so the little stinging insects were called 
mosquitoes, and to this day they are a trouble 
and an annoyance to mankind. 


HOW BIRDS AND FAIRIES CAME TO BE 


(Algonquin) 

/^iNCE—oh, a very long time ago—there were 
no birds and no fairies upon the earth. 
Now I will tell you a story of their beginning, 
as the Indian grandmothers tell it to the Red 
children. 

Ten beautiful sisters lived in the lodge of 
their father, and no maidens in all the tribe 
were so good to look upon as they. 

Young warriors came and sought them in 
marriage, and one by one the sisters went away 
to the lodges of their husbands, until only one 
was left in the lodge of her father. 

This one was Oweenee, the youngest of all, 
and the most beautiful. Many warriors had 
sought her favor, but she was not easily won. 
Her sisters mocked her, but she cared not for 
that. “I shall know when the right suitor 
comes,” she said to her own heart, and went 
about her duties in her father’s lodge. 

One day an old man came to the lodge door 

78 


HOW BIRDS AND FAIRIES CAME TO BE 79 

and talked with the youngest sister, and though 
he seemed old and bent with years, her heart told 
her, “He is the one for whom you have waited. ” 
And so, when he asked her to go to his lodge 
and be his wife, she consented. 

Her sisters mocked her more than before, but 
they and their husbands went with Oweenee 
and the old man along the path. 

The married sisters led the way, and the old 
man, whose name was Osseo, and the youngest 
sister, Oweenee, walked behind, and the girl was 
kind and thoughtful, and watched the steps of 
Osseo with care. 

But what was her surprise, as they were 
about to pass a hollow log, to see him suddenly 
dart into its open end and almost immediately 
come from the farther end—not old and bent, 
but the youngest, the strongest, and the most 
active of all the warriors in the company. Then 
he took the hand of the youngest sister, and 
together they led the way to his lodge. 

The eyes of the youngest sister were bright 
with happiness, but the older sisters were dumb 
with astonishment. 

When they entered the lodge of Osseo, they 
found a feast prepared. The food was plain, 


80 INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 

and the dishes were of wood. The lodge, too, 
seemed shabby and poor. But while they ate, 
the lodge began gently to rise from the ground. 
Up and up it went, and its shabby sides began 
to gleam like silver. The food became the rich¬ 
est and choicest, and the dishes became like 
shells of radiant colors. 

Up and up the lodge continued to go, until 
at last it reached the Sky Land, and stopped 
before the doorway of the Evening Star. 

The Evening Star greeted them and spoke to 
Osseo. Then the sisters and their husbands, 
who had scoffed at Oweenee, knew that the old 
man whom she had married was no other than 
Osseo, the Son of the Evening Star. 

And Evening Star said, “You and your beau¬ 
tiful bride are welcome to my lodge, but these 
others who have scoffed at her and at you may 
not come inside. They may stay at the lodge 
door.” 

Then the lodge of Osseo became a wonderful 
silver cage, and the sisters and their husbands 
were changed into singing birds, with plumage 
of brightest colors, blue, and red, and orange, 
and scarlet. And they flew about in their silver 
cage, and sang to Osseo and his bride. 


HOW BIRDS AND FAIRIES CAME TO BE 81 

Now Osseo grew stronger and more manly 
day by day, and his bride grew sweeter and 
lovelier to look upon. After many moons had 
come and gone there came to Osseo and his 
wife a little son. As the boy grew he seemed 
brighter than the starlight, and Osseo and 
Oweenee loved him dearly; but his grandfather, 
the Evening Star, loved him best of all. 

One day Evening Star said to Osseo, “You 
must be careful not to let the light beams from 
the small Star that dwells near by fall upon 
the cage of singing birds, or upon yourself, or 
your wife, or your son. The Star is an evil 
spirit, and the light beams are his enchanted 
arrows. They change the form of all those upon 
whom they fall.” 

So Osseo promised to be careful. But after 
many moons had passed, he forgot about the 
light beams of the Star neighbor. 

He made a bow and arrows for his little son, 
who loved to play at shooting. Then one day 
the boy said, “I want to shoot some living thing. 
How shall I learn to be a hunter if I have no 
game to shoot?” 

“I will open the silver cage,” said Osseo, 
“and you may shoot at the flying birds.” 


82 


INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 


Then the little boy was pleased, and he drew 
his bow, and Osseo opened the door of the cage. 

Out flew the birds, glad to stretch their wings, 
and the boy sped his arrow after them. But 
swifter than his arrow was the light beam of 
the little Star, and it fell upon the birds and 
the boy. 

Immediately they became enchanted. The 
birds flew swiftly down to earth and lighted 
upon an island in the midst of a green sea, and 
the little boy, the grandson of Evening Star, 
floated softly down after them. 

Then Osseo was full of sorrow, and he said 
to his father, “Oh, father! let us go also, my 
wife and I, that we may not be separated from 
our son.” 

So Evening Star permitted Osseo and Owee- 
nee to enter the silver cage, and silver wings 
were given it, and it flew down to the island in 
the midst of the green sea. 

And then the enchantment of the little Star 
changed all of them to Fairies, and joining 
hands they danced and sang in the starlight, 
while the Evening Star looked down upon them 
from his far-away home in the sky. 


WHY THE ASPEN LEAVES ARE 
NEVER STILL 


(Blackfeet) 

W HY are the leaves on the aspen tree 
never still, Grandmother ?” asked one of 
the Indian children of the old basket weaver. 
“I have watched them so many times, and they 
always talk together.” 

“You are right, my daughter. When there 
is no breath in the heavens, the aspen leaves 
still talk.” 

“Is there a story about the aspen tree, grand¬ 
mother?” asked the little girl. “Will you tell 
it to me, if there is?” 

“Yes daughter,” replied the old woman, 
“there is a story about the aspen tree which 
it is good that you should hear.” 

Taking her basket upon her knees and con¬ 
tinuing her weaving, the grandmother told her 
story: 

“Many, many moons ago there was a young 


84 


INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 


warrior who was lonely in liis father’s lodge, 
and he said to himself, 6 1 will seek a maiden 
to wed, and make ready a lodge of my own.’ 

* “So he watched the maidens of the village, 
and he found two sisters who seemed so mod¬ 
est, and kind, and good, that he knew not which 
of them to choose. 

“When he went to their father’s lodge, he 
was kindly treated by both. They gave him 
words of welcome, they smiled upon him, and 
they prepared food and set it before him. Both 
could weave fine baskets for the lodge, and 
make rich embroidery of quills. 

“Many times the young brave went to the 
lodge, but he could not tell which maiden would 
make the better wife. And at last he said to 
himself, ‘I will try magic. I will get the medi¬ 
cine man to help me.’ 

“So he visited the lodge of the Medicine 
Man, and after a time there came away from 
the Medicine Man’s lodge an old man, bent, and 
leaning upon a stick. He walked feebly, and 
his garments were ragged. His hair was white, 
and his chin quivered with age. 

“The old man went to the lodge of the two 
maidens and begged a bit of food. The younger 









































86 INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 

sister asked him to come inside the lodge and 
rest. Then she prepared some nourishing food 
and gave to him, and while he ate it she no¬ 
ticed that his feet were barely covered with 
pieces of skins tied about the ankle. She has¬ 
tened to finish the moccasins that she was em¬ 
broidering, and gave them to him, so that his 
feet should not be bruised with walking. 

“The older sister looked on with scorn, and 
made unkind remarks. She asked her sister 
why she should spend time upon a forlorn old 
man who could never repay her. She laughed 
at his ragged garments and at his quivering 
chin and feeble knees. Then in a sharp voice 
she bade him begone before her lover should 
come from the hunt. 

“The old man w T ent away, after thanking the 
younger sister for her kindness. 

“A short time later, the young w T arrior came 
to the door of the lodge, bearing upon his shoul¬ 
ders a deer which he had shot. Both sisters 
smiled at him and bade him enter. He passed 
the older sister without a glance, and laid the 
deer at the feet of the younger. 

“As they looked dow r n at the deer, both sis¬ 
ters discovered that the young man had upon 


WHY THE ASPEN LEAVES ARE NEVER STILL 87 

his feet the moccasins that the younger sister 
had just given to the strange old man. 

“ ‘I seek a maiden to be the light of my 
lodge/ he said, ‘and by magic I have found that 
one. I was the old man who came hither for 
shelter and comfort, and so I learned how to 
escape a sharp tongue and bitter words. 

“ ‘But the Medicine Man’s charm has not yet 
finished its work,’ he added. ‘I do not want 
another to suffer the fate I have so narrowly 
escaped.’ 

“He took the younger sister by the hand and 
led her from the lodge. The older sister fol¬ 
lowed, and as she stepped outside, her feet be¬ 
came rooted to the ground, and she was turned 
into an aspen tree. 

“The younger sister became the light of the 
young warrior’s lodge; but the aspen tree, like 
the older sister, while beautiful to look upon, 
has since that day had a whispering and unruly 
tongue.” 


WHY THE BABY SAYS “GOO” 


(Algonquin) 

II/T ANY, many moons ago there lived among 
^ the Red people a warrior who was greatly 
respected and admired by all his tribe. 

When an enemy came to attack them, this 
warrior was always the first to resist. His arm 
was strong, and his arrows went true and 
straight to the mark. He had gone alone on 
many a daring hunt, and had contended with 
the fiercest beasts of the forest and slain them. 
But greatest of all, he had fought alone with 
mighty giants, and overcome them, so that his 
tribe was rid of their evil magic. It was no 
wonder that the people thought him great. 

But then, as so often follows, the warrior be¬ 
came puffed up with thoughts of his own cour¬ 
age and power, and he was filled with pride, 
and boastings. 

“ There is no one, among men or beasts,” he 
said, “who does not fear me. All men obey me. 
They tremble at the sound of my voice.” 

88 


WHY THE BABY SAYS “GOO” 89 

Now there was in the tribe of this warrior an 
old grandmother to whom age had given great 
wisdom. And she thought within her heart, 
“Our warrior is becoming puffed up. He thinks 
too well of himself. It would be good for him 
to be humbled.” So among the women she 
said, “There is one whom I know, who is 
greater than the mighty warrior. He would 
not tremble at his voice, nor obey his word.” 

This saying was repeated to the men of the 
tribe, and in time it came to the ears of the 
great warrior himself. Immediately he went 
to the lodge of the grandmother. 

“What is this, that I hear?” he enquired. 
“Show me who it is that will not obey my 
voice! Tell me his name!” 

“His name is Wasis,” replied the grand¬ 
mother, “and he sits inside my lodge.” 

The warrior threw back the hanging of deer 
skin covering the entrance of the lodge, and 
strode within. There, upon the ground, suck¬ 
ing a piece of maple sugar, sat Wasis, the baby. 
The warrior looked at him in surprise. He 
knew nothing about babies, having been too 
busy all his life with battles and adventures 
to pay any attention to the little people of the 


90 


INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 


tribe. But here was just a tiny fellow. It 
would be no trouble to get him to obey! 

So without any ado, the warrior said, “Ho, 
baby, come here to me!” 

The baby looked at him, but did not move. 
He repeated his command. The baby stopped 
sucking his maple sugar long enough to say 
“Goo, goo,” but he did not move. 

Then the warrior said, “I will show him that 
I am to be feared, and then he will obey me.” 
So he began a war dance, and uttered fierce war 
cries, and Wasis opened liis- mouth and sent 
forth such piercing yells and shrieks, that the 
warrior stopped in amazement. And when he 
had stopped the baby began sucking his maple 
sugar again. 

“Ho, baby, come here to me!” he repeated 
once more, but at that the baby again opened 
his mouth and cried so lustily that the great 
warrior covered his ears and ran from the lodge. 
“It is worse than the war cries of the Frost 
Giants!” he exclaimed. 

“Bid he obey you?” asked the grandmother. 

“No,” said the warrior. “He is a little fel¬ 
low, but he is mightier than I.” 

“Yes,” answered the grandmother, “Wasis, 



“WASIS SENT FORTH SUCH PIERCING YELLS AND SHRIEKS, 
THAT THE WARRIOR STOPPED IN AMAZEMENT” 















92 


INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 


the baby, conquers us all, and no one can resist 
him.” 

And the baby, left alone in the lodge with his 
maple sugar, stopped now and then to say, 
“Goo, goo!” For had he not conquered the 
mighty warrior, the great brave of the tribe? 


WHY THE SQUIRREL COUGHS 


(Algonquin) 


A GREAT trickster was Manabozlio. He 
loved to play jokes upon his friends of the 
forest. 

One day he invited them all to a feast in his 
wigwam. And every one came, from the wood¬ 
pecker and the tiny mouse, to the great moose 
with branching horns. 

It was a time of scarcity of food, and all were 
glad to be asked to a banquet. 

But the meat that Manabozlio had ready for 
his guests, he had prepared by magic—though 
of that no one knew except himself. 

When all had assembled, Manabozho gave to 
each a portion of meat. The woodpecker was 
the first to taste of his, and as he took the 
delicious looking morsel in his mouth, it turned 
to ashes on his tongue, so that he was choked 
and began to cough. But the meat looked so 
good, and he was so hungry that he tasted again, 
and again it turned to ashes and choked him. 

93 


94 


INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 


Every guest liad the same experience. The 
little mouse, the otter, the badger, the fox, the 
wolf, and even the moose tasted his portion and 
it turned to ashes on his tongue. 

In vain the guests tried to be courteous and 
to stifle their coughing, but it grew worse and 
worse as first one and then another ate of the 
meat. 

At length there was such a deafening noise 
in the wigwam, caused by the chorus of cough¬ 
ing and strangling from so many throats great 
and small, that Manabozlio picked up a club in 
pretended anger. Threatening them with it, he 
drove them out of doors, where he changed them 
all to squirrels. 

And that, the Indians tell us, is the reason 
that the squirrel coughs. 


WHY THE FROGS CROAK 


(Algonquin) 

u llyT O-O-O-O-RE, mo-o-o-o-re! ” croaked a big 
i-TX f r0 g the marshy “ ’Tis enough, 
'tis enough, ’tis enough!” answered a smaller 
frog. 

But the big frog called again, “Mo-o-o-o-re, 
mo-o-o-o-re!” And again the smaller frog an¬ 
swered, “ ’Tis enough! ’Tis enough!” 

4 ‘ What is it the frogs are quarreling about, 
grandmother?” asked a little Indian girl, and 
the grandmother replied, “ About the water, I 
suppose.” 

“Why do they quarrel about the water? Is 
it a story, grandmother?” 

“Yes,” said the grandmother, “it is a story. 
Listen and I will tell it to you! 

“In the long-time-ago all the waters of the 
land were tied up. The Indian people grew 
thirsty, and more thirsty. Their fields were 
drying up. The flowers withered. The people 
said, ‘We shall die!’ 


96 INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 

“Then there came to one of the villages the 
giant, Rabbit, and he said, ‘What is this I hear 
about the waters being tied up?’ 

“The Chief answered, ‘For many days there 
has been no water. The streams are empty. 
No little rivers come down the mountain side. 
Our corn is drying up. Our people’s throats 
are parched.’ 

“The giant, Rabbit, said, ‘I will go into the 
mountains and see who has tied up the w T ater.’ 
Then he strode away, taking such great steps 
that he was out of sight in a moment. 

“Up the mountain went the giant, and when 
he came to the top he found a tribe of men 
there, and they had tied up the water so that 
it stood in great pools which had grown green 
and slimy, because it was no longer fresh. 

“ ‘What are you doing with the water?’ asked 
the Rabbit, and his voice rolled down the moun¬ 
tain like thunder. ‘Do you not know that the 
tribes below you are dying for want of it?’ 

“The Chief of the strange tribe came out to 
answer the Rabbit. ITe was fat and ugly, and 
his back was covered with green slime from the 
pool. 

“ ‘We need the water for ourselves. It was 



t ~~P*n.oTrtY ^-/w—^ 

“HE WAS FAT AND UGLY, AND HIS BACK WAS COVERED 
WITH GREEN SLIME FROM THE POOL” 








































































































98 


INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 


running away down the mountain, so we stop¬ 
ped it/ said the Chief. 

“ Rabbit reached out and caught the Chief by 
the back of his neck and shook him. The 
giant’s grasp was strong, and the Chief’s eyes 
bulged from his head, and he swelled up till 
he was puffed out all over, from trying to get 
his breath. 

“ ‘So shall you look, you and all your tribe, 
hereafter,’ said Rabbit, holding him off and 
looking at him. Then he threw him into the 
green pool, and all his tribe with him. 

“After that Rabbit untied the water, and all 
the little streams began to flow down the moun¬ 
tain. Our people, at the foot of the mountain, 
saw them coming, and they gave thanks to the 
Great Spirit, because he had helped the giant, 
Rabbit, to give them water again, that they 
might live. 

“The tribe at the top of the mountain became 
frogs, as you see them now, and they have 
traveled to many parts of the land; but wher¬ 
ever they go they keep on quarreling about the 
water, as you have heard them this day.” 


THE ROCK OF THE MEASURING WORM 

EL CAPITAN, IN THE YOSEMITE 

(California Tribes) 

nnwo small Indian boys were seated before 
the tepee fashioning bows and arrows. 

‘ 6 Mine is not good!” exclaimed one of the 
bovs ? throwing aside the stick with which he had 
been working. “Besides, I am tired of sitting 
still. Let us go for a swim in the river.” 

Away they dashed, running swiftly, as the 
Indian child is taught to run. Into the water 
they jumped, swimming, diving, splashing, and 
stopping now and then for a water battle. 

At length they had had enough of the water, 
so out upon the bank they came. 

“Let us climb upon this rock to dry ourselves. 
Its top is flat, and the sun is warm upon it.” 

So they climbed upon the flat rock, and in a 
few moments both boys were fast asleep. Then 
a strange thing began to occur. The rock slowly 
and gradually commenced to stretch itself up, 


100 INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 

up, up, higher, and higher, and higher. And 
the boys continued to sleep. 

Taller, and taller grew the rock, carrying the 
boys upward on its flat surface until at last 
their faces were bathed by the clouds that floated 
in the sky. And still they slept. 

For many moons they slept; for a whole snow. 

In the meantime the people of their village 
missed them and began to search. They 
searched by the river, and in the forest, but no 
one could find the missing boys. There was 
great sorrow in the village. 

None of the people knew of the great rock. 
Only the animals, knew. 

Then one day the animals came together, and 
they said, “What is to be done? The people are 
sorrowing because of the boys that are lost. Can 
we not return them to their friends V 9 
'So the animals decided to try to get the boys 
off the great rock. 

“You are littlest,” said the lion to the mouse, 
“you try first.’’ 

So the mouse made ready and sprang as high 
as she could up the side of the rock. Just a 
hand-breadth she jumped, and fell back into the 
valley. 


THE ROCK OF THE MEASURING WORM 101 

So the rat tried next, and he made a mighty 
effort, and jumped two liand-breadths, and then 
he too fell back into the valley. 

After that every sort of animal jumped in 
turn, the otter, and the badger, the fox, and the 
wolf, and the bear, and though each one jumped 
as high as he could, he jumped only against the 
side of the rock, and went tumbling back into 
the valley. 

Last of all came the lion. With a mighty roar 
he sprang—but it was of no use: he too struck 
the side of the great rock and fell back with the 
others. 

They were about to give up and go back to 
their homes in the river and in the forest, when 
a tiny measuring-worm came creeping over the 
grass. “By your leave/’ she said quite humbly, 
addressing the lion, “I should like to try and 
see what I can do.” 

“Ho-ho,” laughed all the animals together. 
“Ho-ho!” 

But without waiting for their consent, the 
measuring-worm made her way slowly to the 
foot of the great rock, and then, little by little, 
little by little, she drew herself up, up, up the 
side of the mighty rock. 


102 


INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 


Up, and up, and up she went, until she was 
lost to sight of the animals waiting below. 

At last she reached the top, and drew herself 
over the edge. And there lay the two boys, still 
sleeping. 

Then the measuring-worm took the two boys, 
and started back. She climbed with them down 
the side of the rock, little by little, down, and 
down, and down. 

At last she came within sight of the waiting 
animals. 

Down, and down still she climbed until she 
was in their midst. 

So mighty was the noise made by the assem¬ 
bled animals that it wakened the sleeping boys, 
and brought the men and women of the village 
to the foot of the great rock. 

And so the boys were restored to their people. 

But the great rock with its almost perpendic¬ 
ular sides stands to-day, lofty and imposing. 


HOW THE FLYING SQUIRREL 
GOT HIS WINGS 


(Iroquois) 

T ONG ago, in the Indian country, Nuk-da-go 
^ was chief of the squirrel tribe. One day 
he was passing through the woods to see 
how all the little squirrels were faring, and how 
they prospered in laying up their store of nuts 
for the winter. 

Now when Nuk-da-go went about the woods 
he often made himself invisible, for by this 
means he heard and saw many things which 
would not have been said or done if the woods 
people had known that he was near. 

On this day Nuk-da-go chanced to pass by 
the home of a little squirrel, Jo-nis-gy-ont, who 
had worked very hard all the autumn laying up 
nuts for his winter’s food. 

Little Jo-nis-gy-ont lived all alone in a hollow 
tree close beside a great pine. On one side, 
near the edge of a bit of marsh, lived Brother 

103 


104 


INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 


Frog, and on the other side, under some rocks 
near the pine, lived Brother Woodchuck. 

Now for some days Jo-nis-gy-ont had been 
noticing that his stock of nuts, instead of grow¬ 
ing bigger, was growing smaller, though he 
worked hard every day. 

The big liickorv-nut tree, from which he car¬ 
ried his stores, was a half-hour’s journey a*way 
from the hollow tree. To be sure, there were 
acorns and cone seeds much nearer home, but, 
as every one knows, the hickory nut is the 
sweetest nut of the woods. 

But of late, when Jo-nis-gy-ont returned from 
one of his long trips with his cheeks bulging 
with hickory nuts, he would find fezvcr nuts 
in his storehouse in the hollow tree than he had 
left there when he started away. Little Jo-nis- 
gy-ont had his own ideas, but he thought it best 
to be frank and friendly. 

One evening, as he and Brother Frog and 
Brother Woodchuck were sitting at the doors 
of their houses, little Brother Squirrel said, 
“ Neighbors, I have found that there is a thief 
about. My store of nuts is being robbed.” 
Then he looked hard at Brother Frog and 
Brother Woodchuck—for in those days, you 


HOW THE FLYING SQUIRREL GOT WINGS 105 



“LITTLE JO-NIS-GY-ONT HAD HIS OWN IDEAS” 


must know, the frog tribe and the woodchuck 
tribe were also eaters of nuts. 

Brother Frog tried to look very much sur¬ 
prised as he said, “Who would be so mean as 
to steal from little Jo-nis-gy-ont’s store of hick¬ 
ory nuts? Such a thing would be a shame!” 
Then he managed to squeeze two big tears from 
his eyes and let them roll slowly down his fat 
cheeks. 

And Brother Woodchuck said, “Surely no one 
in the forest would steal from you, little Brother 
Squirrel! There must be some mistake. Should 








106 


INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 


I see any robber taking your store of nuts, it 
would go hard with him!” 

But little Jo-nis-gy-ont had his own ideas 
stilly —and so did Nuk-da-go, chief of the squir¬ 
rel tribe, who was listening, unseen. 

That night Nuk-da-go came back to the for¬ 
est to look into the matter. He found little 
Jo-nis-gy-ont fast asleep; and down beside the 
rocks, where Brother Woodchuck had his home, 
he could see the dirt flying fast. Brother 
Woodchuck was digging for dear life. Nuk- 
da-go watched, and as soon as the hole was big 
enough, Brother Woodchuck began filling it 
with hickory nuts. Then he ran to the hollow 
tree, and in a few minutes was back with more 
nuts, which he dropped into the hole and cov¬ 
ered carefully from sight. 

Then Nuk-da-go went over to the edge of the 
marsh, where there was a stirring in the thick 
moss. Nuk-da-go watched. Soon he saw Brother 
Prog carefully lifting the moss, while he pushed 
under it a quantity of hickory nuts. Then 
Brother Frog hopped away in the direction of 
the hollow tree, and soon he was back, with his 
cheeks bulging. Then he dropped more hickory 
nuts, which he pushed carefully under the moss. 


HOW THE FLYING SQUIRREL GOT WINGS 107 

“The hickory-nut tree is a half-hour’s jour¬ 
ney away,” said the wise Nuk-da-go. “I will 
look into this matter further.” 

The next day Nuk-da-go went about among 
all the forest people and told them that little 
Jo-nis-gy-ont’s store of nuts was being robbed. 
“Shall we call a council?” he asked. “Shall 
we bring all the forest people together to find 
out who is the robber?” 

And all the forest people said, “Yes, yes.” 

That night the council was held, and all the 
forest people came except Brother Frog and 
Brother Woodchuck, who begged to be excused. 

“No one can be excused from the council,” 
declared Nuk-da-go, who had been appointed 
Chief. “ Jo-nis-gy-ont, as you are their nearest 
neighbor, I appoint you to go and bring them.” 

Jo-nis-gy-ont hastened back, but when he told 
his errand, Brother Frog jumped far out into 
the marsh and pretended not to hear, and 
Brother Woodchuck slipped into his home un¬ 
der the rocks, out of sight. 

But Nuk-da-go would be obeyed, so he went 
after them himself, and, being Chief of the 
Council and Chief of the tribe, Brother Frog 
and Brother Woodchuck had to come out when 


108 


INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 


lie called them, and they followed him along to 
the council, looking very meek and very mean 
indeed. 

Then Nuk-da-go stood up before all the woods 
people and told them why he had called them 
together, and what he had seen. And when he 
had finished telling them about little Jo-nis-gy- 
ont’s store of nuts, and about the nuts that were 
under the rocks, and under the moss, the woods 
people looked at Brother Frog and Brother 
Woodchuck and they said, “We will go and look 
into this,'too.’’ 

So all the company of woods people went to 
the hollow tree near the pine and looked at Jo- 
nis-gy-ont’s poor little pile of nuts. Then they 
went and uncovered the nuts by the rock, and 
the nuts that were tucked beneath the moss. 
Then they looked at Brother Woodchuck and 
Brother Frog, and asked, “What have you to 
say?” 

But Brother Woodchuck and Brother Frog 
hadn't a word to say! They just looked mean, 
and ashamed. 

Then the woods people decided that Nuk-da- 
go should be the judge. So he told Brother 
Frog to sit before him, and he said, “I pro- 


HOW THE FLYING SQUIRREL GOT WINGS 109 

nounce you guilty of stealing your neighbor’s 
nuts, and you must be punished. You are fat 
and lazy. Your food flies past your door, and 
you have only to put out your tongue and catch 
it. Your little neighbor has to travel far for his 
food. You sleep all winter and have no need to 
store supplies. Jo-nis-gy-ont stays awake, and 
must eat. So your crime is doubly bad, and 
this shall be your punishment: Hereafter you 
shall not be able to eat nuts, for you shall lose 
all your teeth. Go to your home now, and steal 
no more.” 

Brother Frog hopped away, very sad and 
very much ashamed, and with the first hop 
every one of his teeth dropped out,—and the 
frog tribe have had no teeth from that day to 
this. 

Then Nuk-da-go turned to Brother Wood¬ 
chuck, and said, “You, too, are found guilty of 
stealing your neighbor’s nuts, and you shall 
be punished. Like Brother Frog, you are fat 
and lazy. You sleep through the winter and 
need no food, while Jo-nis-gy-ont must work 
hard for his. Go home. You shall not lose your 
teeth—for Brother Woodchuck was holding his 
paws tightly over his mouth and quaking with 


110 


INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 


fear—but from this day on you and your tribe 
shall live upon leaves and grain and the grow¬ 
ing things of the fields and forests, but no more 
shall you enjoy the taste of flesh, or the sweet 
meat of nuts.” 

Sad and ashamed, Brother Woodchuck turned 
away when Nuk-da-go finished speaking, for this 
was a hard punishment indeed. 

Then Nuk-da-go turned to little Brother Squir¬ 
rel and said, “ Jo-nis-gy-ont, you should have 
been more watchful of your store of nuts, and 
not have slept so soundly when robbers were 
about. But the woods people are sorry for 
you, and so I shall give you something that 
will help you to go quickly from tree to tree, 
and to hasten home in time of danger.” 

Then Nuk-da-go spread a web of skin from 
the fore legs to the back legs of Jo-nis-gy-ont, 
to form wings when he leaped, so that he could 
jump swiftly and far. 

From that day to this the tribe of Jo-nis- 
gy-ont has had wings, and this is the Indians’ 
account of the first flying squirrel. 


WHY BROTHER BEAR WEARS 
A STUMPY TAIL 


(Ojibwa) 

TY TIMES long past Brother Bear was a 
famous fisherman. He had a large stock of 
patience, and great good nature. He was never 
in a hurry. 

But Brother Bear was honest as he was slow, 
and always ready to believe what others told 
him, and so he was often imposed upon by the 
slyer animals—Brother Fox, for instance. 

One day as Brother Fox was walking beside a 
stream, he saw a group of plump little animals 
slip into the water and disappear from sight. 

“Young otters, I do believe!” cried Brother 
Fox, smacking his lips. “What a meal they 
would make!” Then he sat down beside the 
stream and began to think. He did want those 
otters so badly! He could not think of any¬ 
thing else that would taste half so good. But 

how to get them! That was the question, 
in 


112 INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 

Presently, while he was thinking, along came 
Brother Bear shuffling down the path with a 
load of nuts and honey. 

“Good morning, Brother Bear,” said Brother 
Fox. “I see you have a load of excellent food 
—excellent for you, I mean. My tribe never 
eats nuts or honey. But perhaps you would 
not mind adding a bit of tender meat to your 
load.” 

“Meat? No, indeed,” replied Brother Bear. 
“But where am I to find it?” 

“Why,” said Brother Fox with his craftiest 
smile, “there are some young otters in this 
stream. I just saw them slip into the water.- 
It seems to me that they would make very good 
eating for you and your family.” 

Brother Bear smacked his lips. “But how 
am I to get them?” he asked. 

“I am no fisherman, as you well know,” said 
Brother Fox, “but you are a famous fisherman. 
Why can you not fish for them?” 

Brother Bear thought for a moment. “But 
I have no bait,” he said. 

“That is true,” replied Brother Fox, “but I 
will tell you what to do. Just go out upon that 
log that lies near the shore and drop your fine 


BROTHER BEAR WEARS A STUMPY TAIL 113 

long tail into tlie water. I feel sure the otters 
will think your tail good bait, and when one 
comes to nibble it, yon can jerk np your tail 
and just whip the otter over to the shore. I 
will guard your game for you until you finish 
fishing.” 

“Very good,” agreed Brother Bear, “I will 
try that.” 

So Brother Bear laid down his load of nuts 
and honey, made his way to the log, and climbed 
upon it. Then he let his fine long tail drop down 
into the water—for this was in times long past, 
you must remember, when the tails of the bears 
were long—and then he closed his eyes and sat 
very still. 

Presently he felt a nibble at his tail, and he 
whipped it up, as Brother Fox had told him. 
Sure enough, a fine young otter went flying 
across to the bank where Brother Fox lay wait¬ 
ing behind a bush. 

“That was pretty well done!” thought Brother 
Bear, as he dropped his tail into the water again 
and waited. Presently he felt another nibble, 
and another otter went flying across to the bank. 
And soon it was followed by a fish, and then 
by another fish. 


114 


INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 


“Wliat a fine dinner I shall take home to my 
family,” thought Brother Bear to himself, as 
he began trying to count the number of times 
his tail had been nibbled, and he had sent some¬ 
thing flying across for Brother Fox to guard. 

While he was trying to count, North Wind 
came along and saw him sitting there with his 
eyes closed, and his tail hanging down in the 
water. 

“I shall have to play a trick on Brother Bear, 
I do believe!” chuckled North Wind to him¬ 
self, and he sent a cold breath over the water, 
so that it became quite still. Then he sent 
another breath, and a cold, shining crust formed 
all across its top. After that he sent another 
breath, and another, and the cold, shining crust 
grew thicker and thicker. 

Presently Brother Bear stopped trying to 
count and opened his eyes. “Brother Fox,” he 
called, “there seems to be no more game in the 
river. I have not felt a nibble for a long time.” 

But Brother Fox was just finishing a nice 
bone, and he called back earnestly, “Oh, be 
patient, Brother Bear! I am sure you will catch 
more game if you wait a little longer.” 

So Brother Bear closed his eyes again and 



“NORTH WIND SAW HIM SITTING THERE WITH HIS EYES 
CLOSED AND HIS TAIL HANGING DOWN IN THE WATER” 














































116 


INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 


sat still for several minutes. Then he called, 
“ Brother Fox, I am sure there is no more game 
in the river. I am coming ashore now.” 

There was no answer from Brother Fox, so 
Brother Bear moved a little on the log, but it 
was a very little, for his tail felt heavy as lead. 
“Why,” he exclaimed, “I must have an enor¬ 
mous fish now, my tail is so heavy!” And with 
that he gave a great jump, intending to carry 
the game with him to shore, when, snap! his 
tail broke right off short, for it was frozen 
fast in the ice. And that was the trick that 
North Wind had played. 

Brother Bear felt terribly at losing his tail, 
it had been such a beautiful, long one! But 
at last he comforted himself by thinking, “Well, 
at any rate, I have a wonderful feast to carry 
home to the family: nuts, and honey, and fish, 
and game.” So he licked his lips, in spite of 
the loss of his tail. 

But when Brother Bear reached the shore, 
he could not find Brother Fox anywhere! And 
neither could he find the fish, nor the tender 
young otters. Instead, he found a heap of 
fresh bones back of the bush where Brother 
Fox had been lying. And then he knew that 


BROTHER BEAR WEARS A STUMPY TAIL 117 

Brother Fox liad played a bad trick upon him, 
too. 

He gathered up his load of nuts and honey 
and went sadly home. And from that day to 
this Brother Bear has refused to do any more 
fishing, and has worn a stumpy tail. 


THE THUNDER PEOPLE 


(Passamaquoddy) 

/^\NCE upon a time a young Indian warrior 
was hunting with his bow and arrows. He 
followed far after a fleet deer, until he found 
himself standing upon a great rock, high above 
the plains. 

The clouds were gathering thickly. The sky 
was black with clouds. The Indian youth was 
far away from his lodge. 

Again he saw the deer, and he drew his bow. 
But as he did so the deer was changed into 
the form of a maiden, standing against the rock. 

The youth dropped his bow in wonder. He 
looked at the maiden. In the distance he heard 
the voice of the thunder. 

“Who are you?” he asked in amazement. 

And the maiden answered, “I am the sister 
of the Thunder Men. Will you come with me 
and visit our home?” The youth consented, 
and the maiden struck the great rock against 
which she had stood. 


118 


THE THUNDER PEOPLE 


119 


There was a flash, like a flash of lightning, 
and the rock opened and made a passage for 
them. 

The maiden led the way, and the youth fol¬ 
lowed; and when they had passed through the 
rock, they came into a strange country—to the 
home of the Thunder Maiden. The floors and 
walls were of clouds, and the clouds were of 
every shade, from silver gray to the deepest 
purple black. They w r ere soft to walk upon, 
and smooth as the smoothest velvet. And their 
changing shades were more wonderful than any 
artist could paint. 

The maiden’s robes were of trailing silver, and 
her hair was black as midnight. 

She led the youth to her father, who sat upon 
a throne formed from the deepest purple clouds. 
His hair and beard were white like the mists 
that float across the sky. But his robe was 
black, with here and there a dash of brilliant 
gold. 

“Welcome, my son,” said the old man. “Have 
you come to dwell among us?” 

The youth looked at the beautiful maiden, 
and he answered, “Yes, my father.” 

So he became one of the Thunder People. 


120 


INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 


After a time the brothers of the maiden 
returned home. And when they saw the youth 
and knew that he had come to dwell among 
them, they proposed a game of ball. 

Now their balls were big and black, and very 
heavy; and they did not throw them, but rolled 
them back and forth across the clouds. And 
the noise was very great. 

When the father of the Thunder Men saw 
that the youth was strong, and could roll the 
ball well, he said, “You shall go wuth my sons 
to-morrow. You shall see greater sport than 
this.” 

In the morning, when the Thunder Men put 
on their great purple wings, the maiden brought 
forth another pair and fastened them upon the 
shoulders of the youth. Then they all flew 
away to the south. They carried bows, and 
their arrows were of gold. 

Their wings made a mighty roaring and 
crashing as they flew, and the people on the 
earth said, “Listen, how the thunder roars and 
crashes!” 

Then they shot their golden arrows from 
their bows, and the earth people cried, “See, 
how the lightning flashes across the sky!” And 


THE THUNDER PEOPLE 


121 


some of the earth people ran and hid, for they 
were afraid. 

But the old man of the thunder world had 
said to his sons: “Shoot your arrows only at 
the great bird of the south, which is our enemy. 
Destroy not the people of the earth. And fly 
not too low. Touch not the trees, for they are 
our friends.” 

So they flew about for a time, taking care 
where they sent their arrows. And when they 
had grown tired of their sport, they flew back 
to their home in the clouds and took off their 
great purple wings. 

For many moons the youth enjoyed the com¬ 
pany of the Thunder Maiden, and took part 
in the sports of her brothers. But at last there 
took possession of him a great longing to visit 
again his brothers and sisters of the earth. 
He longed to chase the deer in the forest, to 
follow his chief in battle, to smell the fire of 
his lodge. 

He told his longing to the old man of the 
Thunder World, and the old man said he should 
have his way. So for the last time the Thunder 
Maiden fastened his purple wings to his shoul¬ 
ders, handed him the golden arrows, and bade 


122 INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 

him good-bye. Then away he flew with the 
Thunder Men. 

Closer and closer to the earth they went, 
and the people covered their ears to keep out 
the crash and roar of the thunder; and they 
covered their eyes to keep out the sight of the 
dazzling, flashing lightning. 

“Oh, what a storm!” cried the earth people, 
as they looked toward a hill outside their vil¬ 
lage where the noise seemed most deafening, 
and the glare seemed most blinding. 

And there, on the hill, the Thunder Men left 
their Indian brother; then, with many a rumble 
and flash, they flew away back to their home 
in the clouds. 

When the people looked again, the storm had 
lifted, and a warrior was seen descending from 
the hill to the village. They recognized him 
as the youth who had been lost for many, many 
moons. 

As they sat together around the fire of the 
lodge, the youth told them the tale that I 
have told you, of the Thunder People who dwell 
in the purple clouds. 


KEEPERS OF THE WINDS 


(Algonquin) 

T^'UDJEKEEWIS, father of the four winds 
^ of heaven, had three sons. Their names 
were Wabun, Kabibonokka, and Shawondasee. 
Mudjekeewis said to the chiefs of his people, 
“You have named me Kabeyun, the West Wind, 
and have given to me all the four winds of the 
heavens. I will appoint my three sons to be 
keepers of the north wind, the east wind, and 
the south wind.” 

So to Kabibonokka he gave the north wind, 
to Wabun he gave the east wind, and to Sha¬ 
wondasee he gave the south wind. 

Wabun was a hunter. He liked to rise early 
and to leap upon the mountains in pursuit of 
the wild deer. He liked to shoot with his 
bow and arrows. He was glad that the east 
wind had been given to him, for he loved to 
watch the heavens in the early morning when 
the sun shot its first rays across the mountain 
tops where he hunted. He said to Mudjekeewis, 

123 


124 INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 

“I am most grateful, my father, that the east 
wind has been given into my keeping. When 
I hunt in the early morning I will shoot away 
the clouds of darkness with my silver arrows; 
I will chase away the shadows/ ’ 

So Wabun cared for the east wind, and each 
morning he painted the sky with wonderful 
colors. He sent his silver arrows down to the 
earth to waken the people, and to light up the 
lakes and meadows. 

At last Wabun grew lonely hr his home in 
the eastern sky, and he began to watch day 
by day for a beautiful maiden who walked upon 
the prairie gathering grasses for her baskets. 
And Wabun wooed her with his soft breezes, 
and with sweet flowers, and with the songs of 
birds. And when he had won her heart he 
changed her into a beautiful star, which he 
set in his home in the heavens. 

Kabibonokka, the second son, was very dif¬ 
ferent from Wabun. He was cold and cruel, 
and he was glad that the north wind had been 
given to him. When he sent his winds across 
the earth the leaves upon the trees turned to 
crimson and gold,- and were very lovely, but 
they whirled and twisted in the wind and said 


f 


1 



“WABUN WOOED HER WITH HIS SOFT BREEZES . 
.AND THE SONGS OF BIRDS” 

















126 


INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 


to each other, “Our days will soon be at an 
end. We shall soon turn dry and brown and 
fall to the earth. Kabibonokka laughs when 
we put on our beautiful colors.’’ 

Then Kabibonokka sent icy blasts, and the 
waters of the lakes froze, and the snows fell, 
and the winds came through the door of the 
tepee, and life became hard for the people. 
And Kabibonokka laughed, and his laugh was 
like the whistling of the wind through the bare 
tree tops. The fish were deep beneath the 
frozen waters; the snow covered the tracks of 
the animals of the forest. Food was scarce, and 
hard to obtain. 

Only the bravest of the Indians could fish 
and hunt when the north wind blew its coldest. 
Sliingebis was one of these, and he never lacked 
for fish or fuel. 

“I will get the best of Sliingebis,” said Kabi¬ 
bonokka, and so one morning he went to Shinge¬ 
bis’ tepee. x\nd Shingebis asked him to eat 
with him, and he gave him a meal of fish. And 
Kabibonokka ate greedily. But the warmth of 
Shingebis’ tepee was too great for him, and 
he had to go away. As he left he tried to put 
out the tepee fire, but Shingebis blew upon it 


KEEPERS OF THE WINDS 127 

and it burned more brightly, so that Kabibo- 
nokka had to hasten. In revenge he froze the 
waters more deeply, but Shingebis only laughed, 
for no weather was too cold for him to find 
fish for his dinner. 

But the Indians did not love Kabibonokka, 
for lie was cold and cruel. 

Shawondasee was not like either of his broth¬ 
ers. He was fat and lazy. He loved to lie 
upon green banks under shady trees. He loved 
the sweet flowers, and the warmth of the South 
Land. He was far too lazy to send strong 
winds such as came from the North Land. His 
breezes were soft and traveled slowly, and they 
were sweet with the perfume of southern groves 
and meadows. 

Shawondasee, like his brother Wabun, saw a 
beautiful maiden that he loved. Do you remem¬ 
ber the story? Her hair was of golden yellow, 
and she nodded and swayed in the breeze. Her 
home was in the meadows, and Shawondasee 
looked for her day by day, and wafted sweet 
odors and fair flowers to her, and he won her 
love, even as Wabun won the love of the prairie 
maiden. But he was too sluggish to go himself 
to win her, and to bring her to his home in the 


128 


INDIAN NATURE MYTHS 


South Land. Instead he said to himself each 
morning, “ To-day I will go and seek the golden¬ 
haired maiden, and bring her to my home.” but 
each day he was too indolent. 

The days went by, and at last the golden hair 
of the maiden turned silvery white, and wdien 
Shawondasee saw this he heaved a great sigh, 
so great a sigh that it reached even to the 
maiden, and lo, all the silver white of her hair 
was scattered over the meadow! 

So Shawondasee still lives alone in the South 
Land, and sends gentle sighing breezes to the 
meadows of the North. 







4 




Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: March 2010 

PreservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEADER IN COLLECTIONS PRESERVATION 

111 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township, PA 16066 
(724) 779-2111 



































